National Numeracy's Maths MoT for the Nation: Brits Called to Find out how Their Skills Measure up in 'Checktember'

BRIGHTON and HOVE, England, Aug. 29, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- National Numeracy is calling for the nation to check their maths skills this September. The charity has renamed the month 'Checktember' and is encouraging everyone to go online and check that they have the number skills needed for everyday life and work. 

Research released earlier in the year revealed that over half of adults in the UK have poor or low numeracy skills, equivalent to the level expected of a primary school child and 1 in 4 people would be put off applying for a job if numbers and data were listed as a requirement¹. 

However, a third of us (36%) wish we were better at maths and numeracy, which is where Checktember comes in. The National Numeracy Challenge website is free to access and reveals how sharp your skills are. A score of 80 or more is roughly equivalent to a GCSE pass (Adult Level 2) but whatever your level, there are learning resources provided for free to help you to improve. 

Over a quarter of a million people have signed up to the National Numeracy Challenge. One of those is Tony from Durham, who got involved because he wanted to give his mind muscles a workout: "Doing the challenge was the perfect way for me to refresh my number skills after many years of not doing both simple and harder maths. I intend to do it again from time to time to refresh my knowledge and keep on top of the learning process."  

Shannon, from Liverpool, felt her stomach churn when it came to numbers. She dreamed of getting a PGCE but first needed to improve her numeracy skills and retake her Maths GCSE all while raising a new baby. She said, "With just an hour to spare here and there sometimes I'd think, 'I really can't be bothered', but there was a bigger picture - I knew I needed a teaching qualification to get where I wanted to be. I found the resources on the National Numeracy Challenge really did help.  It won't take long to learn and understand – you just have to dedicate yourself to it. It's helped me to fulfil my dream – I'm 28 and I'm going back to university to be a teacher."  

Do you need a maths MoT this Checktember? Try the National Numeracy Challenge here: https://lp.nnchallenge.org.uk/Checktember

About the National Numeracy Challenge  

The National Numeracy Challenge is a free online service created by National Numeracy to help people understand their current numeracy level and then provide tailored support for any areas they need to improve. It's all about the maths needed in daily life and at work – not algebra or trigonometry. Anyone can take the National Numeracy Challenge at any time and return to the learning resources to practise and improve as often as they like. It takes between thirty minutes and an hour to complete the assessment. A score 80 or more on the skills assessment generates a digital badge and certificate to show that the Essentials of Numeracy have been achieved; the everyday maths equivalent of a "4" at GCSE. www.nnchallenge.org.uk