Maths skills let parents down

More than four in ten parents in Yorkshire say their maths skills let them down on a daily basis, including when helping with homework (33 per cent), when at work (22 per cent) and when working out personal finances (22 per cent).

The top five maths struggles for parents in Yorkshire are - helping with homework 33 per cent; at work 22 per cent; calculating personal finances 22 per cent; working out change 13 per cent; working out the bill in restaurants 12 per cent.

In new research of 2,000 parents, commissioned by leading extra tuition provider Explore Learning, parents across the UK blamed a better ability in other subjects (34 per cent), bad teaching (33 per cent) and maths boredom (26 per cent) for their lacking skills.

A survey of Explore Learning members across the UK aged 4-14 found that, in contrast, the next generation of learners are fearless mathletes. This positivity extends to their parents as children have much more assurance in their parents’ capabilities, with almost three-quarters (73 per cent) rating their parents as being very good at maths.

While children said both genders are equally capable at maths, dads felt differently. Nearly two thirds of children (63 per cent) said men and women are equally good but 41 per cent of men in the UK believe men and boys are better. Over half of mums were in disagreement as 53 per cent said both have the same potential.

However, mums are less confident than dads, four in ten (42 per cent) in the UK said they lack skills, versus only 17 per cent of men. And while children view abilities as the same for men and women, there was more recognition of male mathematicians. Less than a quarter of all children had heard of any female mathematicians. While (69 per cent) had heard of Albert Einstein and half (51 per cent) knew of Isaac Newton, only (18 per cent) recognised female mathematicians Hannah Fry and Rachel Riley.

Charlotte Gater, Head of Curriculum at Explore Learning said: “Parents should take inspiration from their children’s confidence; they are great role models for mums and dads.

“It’s really pleasing to see that both boys and girls love the subject and recognise their equal capability and potential. At Explore Learning we support parents and children to take the fear out of maths. With a little knowledge of the latest curriculum and methods, parents can also become confident mathematicians, just like their children.”

To celebrate all things maths, Explore Learning is hosting the Explore Learning Mathematicians’ Awards. Returning for its tenth year in 2019, it is set to be the biggest competition yet, with primary and secondary schools invited to enter a team of four enthusiastic maths fans, ready to battle it out to be crowned the best young mathematicians in the country by none other than University Challenge legend, teacher and maths genius, Bobby Seagull! Prizes up for grabs include the latest in mathematical engineering and robotics from Meccano, HEXBUG, Spin Master and ThinkFun!

Free to enter, the teams will tackle a never-before-seen mathematical problem in an effort to make it to the Grand Final at the prestigious Natural History Museum on Wednesday February 5 2020. Schools looking to enter can visit https://www.explorelearning.co.uk/schools-and-community/mathematiciansawards/. The deadline to register is Friday December 6 2019.

Explore Learning is an award-winning English and maths tuition company with 144 centres located all over the country. Over 35,000 children aged four to 14 attend their centres each week.