Apparently it is our fault that the economy is such rubbish because we can’t add up

Grammaretto

China grandmabatty We'll get them from China. They teach maths there.

I went to an all girls school . The maths teacher was an ancient crone who was always cross. I don't know if anyone took maths GCE, I certainly didn't. .
--poor thing. She was probably in pain or menopausal--

My Maths teacher mumbled to the blackboard all the time. I was rubbish at Maths and came out ungraded at O level. I went back at 40 to evening classes and had the most fabulous teacher who brought Maths alive and used 'living' examples of where it all applied. I am now the proud owner of a Grade C Maths certificate.

Grammaretto

I am not anti maths at all and extremely proud of my clever DC and D,GC though I doubt they would want to teach.
However in the '60s in an all girls school with no male staff, maths teachers were hard to come by.
We had to understand logarithms and measure the paths around tennis courts
I was ok at mental arithmetic which was useful as we weren't allowed calculators.

Measuring the paths round tennis courts would be essential if you were given the job of marking out a new court with paint and wanted to order the right quantity.

There might be unintended consequences which Sunak wouldn't like.

People might actually understand that a 10% increase isn't such a big deal when the rate of inflation has been running at over 10% for a year, especially if the payments are made in arrears. There's no compensation for the higher prices for the last 12 months.

They might also understand that below inflation pay rises are cumulative and realise that after 11 years, a huge gap has developed.

They might also understand about averages, so if the average income is £X, it will be skewed by s handful of very high earners. They might also understand how charts can be manipulated if the axes are adjusted.

MerylStreep my pride was injured along with acquiring an inherent distrust of teachers! Like you, maths was instantly ditched.
I am glad that Rishi Sunak is trying to share his love of learning so it will be interesting to see how he thinks maths can be encouraged and taught to a higher standard. Better than our early years!

Surely understanding is necessary for all subjects.

I am not anti maths at all and extremely proud of my clever DC and D,GC though I doubt they would want to teach.
However in the '60s in an all girls school with no male staff, maths teachers were hard to come by.
We had to understand logarithms and measure the paths around tennis courts
I was ok at mental arithmetic which was useful as we weren't allowed calculators.

Jackiest

Maths is not a subject you can learn it is a subject that you have to understand.

You have to learn the rules of algebra, matrices, formulas etc in order to understand how they work.

Children need to be taught in early years multiplication, addition and subtraction, to learn fully at an early age helps with understanding as they grow and the maths expand.

I agree with you GG13.

Maths is not a subject you can learn it is a subject that you have to understand.

Well said, GG3. There seems to be pride in saying that one is “rubbish at maths”. A good base in arithmetic is as necessary are reading and writing…. algebra, trigonometry etc., are secondary.
I accept that some people find the more abstract difficult, but good basic arithmetic is an absolute must.

There seems to be a badge of pride to be rubbish at maths.

I welcome any initiative to increase the numeracy of the nation.

From what I heard on Breakfast News, The PM hasn’t blamed the Country’s woes on the standard of numeracy, he did say that improving numeracy could only be beneficial, totally different.

ronib

Yes it’s a mystery Fleurpepper.
Reminds me of the time I had my hand slapped with a ruler for getting a maths problem right. The answer book was wrong.

You got off light. Mine hit me round the head so hard my glasses went flying.
As if my maths weren’t bad enough, the intake of the subject stopped there.

Yes! Definitely an anti-maths mindset on GN! Would there be more stigma in announcing a history of being rubbish at reading?

I don't agree with Sunak that weaknesses in maths are holding the UK economy back, but an understanding of maths is crucial to understanding everyday news.

Anyway, it's pie (pi?) in the sky. There aren't enough trained maths teachers to cope with current demand.

ronib

GN proves that there’s an anti Tory mindset.

In the country as a whole? I guess Gransnet is a microcosm of older women in the UK so you’re probably right.

I think Sunak is right that there’s an anti maths mindset, but it’s not down to inability, it’s down to opportunity. If the education system was properly funded it would improve over time.

Grandmabatty

Maths teachers across Britain are few and far between so I'm not sure where he's going to get extra from.

Perhaps if he were to pay them a bit more they might be tempted into the classroom.

Though maths must be an awful subject to teach in a nation that's so proud of its antipathy to maths.

Yes it’s a mystery Fleurpepper.
Reminds me of the time I had my hand slapped with a ruler for getting a maths problem right. The answer book was wrong.

For lots of people -me included- math is a disease. The brain shuts down.

ronib

GN proves that there’s an anti Tory mindset.

Oh I do wonder why, when they have been doing such an excellent and admirable job?!?

China grandmabatty We'll get them from China. They teach maths there.

I went to an all girls school . The maths teacher was an ancient crone who was always cross. I don't know if anyone took maths GCE, I certainly didn't. .
poor thing. She was probably in pain or menopausal

GN proves that there’s an anti Tory mindset.

GN proves that Sunak is right about an "anti maths mindset".

I agree literacy is far more important. Sunak wants maths to eighteen - preserve me! They’d never have got me to school.

Someone has just said that you need maths to get on in life. Not true - I got on in life, two top degrees, good career when I still worked, and I gave up maths at fourteen. In my day I could go to university without a maths qualification providing I had GCELatin, which I did.

Seems to me that high standards of literacy are far more important. But that too means a decent teacher/student ratio, especially for those still struggling at secondary school.

I think that we must expect a lot of dead cats in the next year.

“Look over there, - blame them - not at what is actually happening”

I feel a tv ad/ programme / campaign coming on....