Parliamentary Report Highlights the Importance of NDNA’s Maths Champions
In its report, Making it Count: Numeracy for Life, published 3 November 2026, the cross-party Numeracy for Life Committee in the House of Lords has made recommendations to improve numeracy skills ‘from the cradle to retirement’. The report also calls for a National Year of Numeracy to promote and celebrate its importance for all ages.
The report says that there is much to celebrate with the improvement in maths attainment in schools and among adults, over 8 million adults still have numeracy skills below those expected of a nine year old.
One of the reports recommendations was that; “The Government should continue to fund more early years practitioners to attend early years maths leadership models, including the Maths Champions programme, with a particular focus on early years settings, in the private, voluntary and independent sectors.”
After hearing from a range of witnesses including NDNA alongside teachers, academics, education providers, Government officials and Ministers, the Committee has called on the Government to support people:
- from the cradle to the school gate by ensuring guidance for parents and carers on literacy and reading is matched with guidance on numeracy skills;
- through school years by sustaining its investment in the recruitment of specialist maths teachers, and ensuring schools provide in service training on dyscalculia so that pupils with the condition receive early intervention and targeted support;
- between 16-19 years old as they move towards work by providing further education colleges and other post-16 providers with sufficient funding and specialist teaching capacity to deliver effective GCSE mathematics resits;
- through working years by establishing a ‘no wrong door’ approach under which relevant public-facing services, including jobcentres, primary care, housing services and probation, routinely signpost adults who may benefit from improving their numeracy to suitable support;
- for older people by helping them re-train for work, prepare for retirement, and manage health conditions.
Responding to the report Stella Ziolkowski, Director of Quality and Training at NDNA said, “The Committee noted that Maths Champions is supported by strong evidence of impact. We know that children in Maths Champions settings make, on average, three additional months’ progress in mathematics and language compared with children in other settings.”
“Maths Champions is a strong programme delivering research backed best practice in early maths that has a real benefit for children alongside the development of early years practitioners. There are fully funded opportunities to join the programme, and we would urge any setting interested to register for a place.”
You can find out more about the programme and enrol through the NDNA website.
Lord Agnew of Oulton, Chair of the House of Lords Numeracy for Life Committee said:
“Numeracy impacts the everyday life of millions in their work, raising children, buying a home, managing health and finances and preparing for retirement. Whilst there is much to celebrate with the improvement in maths attainment in schools and progress made in adult numeracy, the reality is that over 8 million adults still have numeracy skills below those expected of a nine year old and children from areas of high deprivation are still more likely to struggle with maths in school.
“Our report calls for the intergenerational cycle of poor numeracy to be broken through an increased focus on early years numeracy, the recruitment of maths specialists in schools and more focus and work on supporting and signposting adults to access work and community learning opportunities. This will not only empower them to meet and manage daily tasks and finances with renewed confidence but also help build the economy.”
You can read the full report and summary here
https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld5902/ldselect/ldnumeracy/67/6702.htm
- Maths Champions
- Parliament
- Report
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