News
National Numeracy Day returns on 22 May 2024!
4 Mar 2024
How do you feel when someone says “maths”? Do you think of school stress? Or maybe you enjoy using and working with numbers and want to help others feel the same.
Whether you love or loathe numbers, National Numeracy Day has something for you!
Join us and a host of celebrities on Wednesday 22 May, and help get the UK feeling good about numbers!
Why dedicate a day to everyday maths?
49% of the UK’s working-age population have the expected numeracy of a primary-school child.
This can make people more vulnerable to debt, unemployment, poor health and fraud. We want to help tackle this.
Last year’s campaign saw over 800,000 actions taken to improve numeracy. We want to reach even more people in 2024.
And everything in the campaign is free, with no fundraising requirement. So everyone can get involved!
Celebrity appearances and activities
Stars include Bobby Seagull, Harry Baker, Iona Bain, Jessica Gagen, Katya Jones, Martin Lewis, Peter Sawkins, Rachel Riley, and Timi Merriman-Johnson (aka Mr MoneyJar).
And we will be announcing a new celebrity ambassador – so watch this space!
The Big Number Natter
The Big Number Natter returns to help the nation talk more openly about maths.
Everyone has something to say about maths, and sharing experiences is a great first step towards building number confidence.
Celebrities, influencers, experts, and the Great British public will all share their stories about maths. Whether good, bad, or simply hilarious, we all have a tale to tell about numbers.
Competition with prizes worth £6,000+ for children and schools
The Number Heroes Competition is back! Six prize bundles for schools or youth groups are up for grabs, each worth £1,000+. There are also prizes for six winning children and 18 runners-up.
The competition gets children across the UK to think creatively about numbers. They create a picture showing how they will use numbers as an adult – either in their dream job, or favourite hobby. Winners will be chosen by celebrity ambassador Bobby Seagull.
National Numeracy Day LIVE
Last year Bobby Seagull and Katya Jones teamed up for the first-ever nationwide maths quiz, livestreamed for thousands of UK school children.
Free, fun resources for children, adults, schools and organisations
There will be a trove of free resources from our celebrity ambassadors and experts, for all ages. With videos to watch, tips to share, and activities to get stuck into, our website will have everything you need.
For schools and organisations who sign up to get involved we have free digital toolkits with assets and guides. Plan a fantastic National Numeracy Day for your classrooms or communities!
Sign up to get involved and get access to your free toolkit and resources as soon as they’re ready
And more will be announced over the coming months!
Thanks to our supporters…
National Numeracy Day is brought to you by independent charity National Numeracy, the campaign's Founding Supporter since 2018 KPMG, and a group of pioneering organisations who are dedicated to improving the nation’s numeracy confidence and skills.
These include Lead Supporters Capital One, Experian, Kartesia, The Lord Mayor’s Appeal, TP ICAP, Vanquis Banking Group, and Lead Delivery Partners including the Department for Education, Maths Circle, Numberblocks, and White Rose Maths.
Founding supporter
Bina Mehta, Chair at KPMG UK said: “Nearly half of UK adults have the numeracy skills equivalent to an 11-year-old, which not only leaves those individuals lacking in confidence, but more vulnerable to debt, unemployment and fraud too. Poor numeracy also hampers our nation’s productivity, costing our economy £25bn a year.
"Since 2018, KPMG has been a Founding Supporter of National Numeracy Day, recognising the vital role numeracy skills play in driving social mobility. If we want to build a fair and prosperous economy for all, individuals, policymakers, businesses and education leaders must work together to boost our nation’s numeracy skills, ensuring that everyone can reach their full potential.”
2024 Lead Supporters
Amazon Web Services
"Amazon Web Services is delighted to support National Numeracy in lowering barriers to accessing numeracy-based learning, helping boost confidence with numbers that helps learners realize their potential at home, work and school."
Barclays LifeSkills
"Numeracy is critical in preparing people for work. With low numeracy confidence and maths anxiety disproportionately impacting young people from disadvantaged backgrounds, the need for support is more urgent than ever. Barclays LifeSkills is thrilled to be supporting National Numeracy Day again this year and working with the charity to help people build vital confidence with numbers earlier on in life."
Bloomberg L.P.
"At Bloomberg, we are committed to giving back to the cities in which we live and work, drawing on the time and talents of our employees. We believe that more inclusive access to data and technology can deliver powerful results for society, which is why we're proud to support National Numeracy to help communities build confidence in numbers and unlock opportunity."
Capital One UK
Dave Richards, Head of Corporate Social Responsibility and Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging: "Capital One UK is thrilled to once again support National Numeracy Day this year. We are committed to ensuring that everyone recognises their potential when working with numbers by collaborating with National Numeracy, and to help inspire and foster confidence. With each passing year, National Numeracy Day's influence expands, and we take pride in contributing to its impactful efforts, enabling everyone to realise their fullest potential in domestic, educational and professional settings."
Experian
"Experian is passionate about helping people manage their finances successfully, which we promote and support in a number of ways including our innovative products and services and our wide-ranging financial health programmes. We know that promoting the essentials of numeracy can play an important part, due to the links between numeracy skills and confidence and financial capability. We look forward to joining forces with National Numeracy, its supporters and champions to help deliver what we’re sure will be yet another hugely successful National Numeracy Day campaign."
Kartesia
"Kartesia Philanthropy is proud to back National Numeracy Day as we share the same determination to improve numeracy confidence in children and young adults. As the UK economic environment continues to evolve, there is a growing recognition of the importance of numeracy to help deal with uncertainty and change. Together with National Numeracy, we hope to foster a more positive community mindset towards numeracy skills, tackle social mobility and ultimately provide better work and learning outcomes for all."
S&P Global
"We are proud to support National Numeracy Day. As a data provider, numeracy is essential to what we do and we recognise the importance of promoting it across the UK population as a key skill for successful financial planning, employability and career development."
The Lord Mayor’s Appeal
"We are delighted to be a Lead Supporter of National Numeracy Day. This is the final in a three-year partnership with National Numeracy, so it’s our last chance to encourage number confidence and help Londoners thrive. Half the UK’s working age adults have low numeracy levels, which makes people more vulnerable to debt, unemployment, poor health and fraud. We’re encouraging companies within the Square Mile and beyond to support National Numeracy Day by hosting their own Big Number Natters."
TP ICAP
Philip Price, Group General Counsel, TP ICAP, said: “As a strategic partner of National Numeracy and numbers people ourselves, we are proud to be supporting this important cause for a sixth straight year. Numeracy is a key driver of social mobility and opportunity, and by providing people with the skills and confidence they need, National Numeracy Day can be a catalyst for changing many lives across the UK for the better.”
Vanquis Banking Group
"Vanquis Banking Group plc is a leading specialist bank which is focused on the mid cost credit market and offers credit cards and loans through our Vanquis brand and vehicle finance through our Moneybarn brand. We understand that numeracy is an important skill in everyday life which can aid financial inclusion and support social mobility. We’re proud to be supporting National Numeracy Day for a sixth year, continuing to support National Numeracy to help people build confidence with numbers."
2024 Delivery Partners
City & Guilds
"Literacy and numeracy are vital skills we all need to develop and keep using throughout life which is why City & Guilds is proud to be partnering with National Numeracy Day and taking part in the Big Numeracy Natter to promote the importance of building confidence with using numbers."
Education Scotland
Gillian Hamilton, Chief Executive of Education Scotland: "Education Scotland is a Scottish Government executive agency charged with supporting quality and improvement in Scottish education and thereby securing the delivery of better learning experiences and outcomes for Scottish learners of all ages.
"Education Scotland has supported National Numeracy Day since it started in 2018. Last year more than 8,900 people took action on the National Numeracy Challenge in Scotland - a 19% increase on the year before. This year we’d love to see that number grow even more and we encourage both children and adults across the country to get involved and further improve your number confidence and skills.
"Seven years on since its inception, this year we are partnering again with National Numeracy to reach even more schools, establishments and community learning providers to engage learners in improving numeracy skills and we are excited to see the positive impact this will make."
Maths Circle
Bruno Reddy, CEO and Founder at Maths Circle Ltd: "Maths Circle create award-winning maths learning platforms (Times Tables Rock Stars and NumBots) for schools, tutors and families, which help children acquire fundamental numeracy skills. Our mission is to make maths fun whilst improving maths outcomes, which is why we are delighted to support the great work of National Numeracy. It's a super exciting year as we join forces with the legendary Harry Baker, merging his passion for poetry and numbers with our mission to make maths engaging and accessible. Together, we're paving the way for an innovative collaboration that promises to make this year's National Numeracy Day truly exceptional."
Numberblocks
"Numberblocks is the lively CBeebies TV show that brings maths to life for little ones through exciting adventures with Numberblock One and her friends from Zero to One Hundred! All the Numberblocks love a toe-tapping dance routine and we are delighted to be a Lead Delivery Partner for National Numeracy Day."
White Rose Education
"White Rose Education is delighted to once again be supporting National Numeracy Day in 2024. As an organisation dedicated to developing and improving maths education, we recognise the importance of number confidence both in the classroom and beyond, for both children and adults. We're proud to support the fantastic work that National Numeracy undertakes every year to help promote and inspire number positivity."
