Shiny new coins to teach numeracy? I doubt kids will give a toss
Michael Hogan
Coinage marking the reign of King Charles III has been designed to help children identify numbers and learn to count. The problem is, they have no idea what physical money is
July 2023
Sats attainment in English primary schools still below pre-Covid levels
Proportion of children meeting expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined matches 2022 figure of 59%
April 2023
DfE quietly shelves plans for £100m online adult learning platform
Exclusive: Critics denounce Rishi Sunak’s push to improve adult numeracy as ‘empty rhetoric’ after centrepiece is ditched
Politics live with Andrew Sparrow
No 10 refuses to say when Rishi Sunak first declared wife’s shareholding in childminder agency – as it happened
PM’s spokesperson also refuses to say when updated register of ministers’ interests would be published
‘Anti-maths mindset’ costs UK a huge sum, Rishi Sunak claims
PM urges Britain to prize numeracy, but critics say such talk counts for nothing without a funded plan
March 2023
The world can be overwhelming for children – that’s why I’ve reduced it to 100 people
Jackie McCann
My book makes daunting statistics easy to understand, opening young people up to different ways of thinking about the world, says children’s writer Jackie McCann
January 2023
The problems created by Sunak’s maths lessons
Letters: Readers remain unconvinced by the prime minister’s plan for students to study maths until the age of 18
The politics sketch
New year, not so new Rish giving the people what they want … extra maths!
John Crace
Thanks to the prime minister and the genius idea nobody asked for, people will be able to calculate just how broke they are
Rishi Sunak to propose maths for all pupils up to age 18
PM to set out plan to enhance numeracy for pupils in England in first policy speech of 2023
May 2022
The shifting patterns of English
May I have a word about … how headline hyperbole has taken an explosive turn
Jonathan Bouquet
‘Rocket’ was once good enough as a metaphor, but now the ante has been firmly upped skywards
March 2022
Zahawi’s English schools white paper leaves many in sector underwhelmed
Hopes were high after blunders of Williamson’s tenure, but 60-page vision for future offers little to inspire
June 2020
Other lives
Madeline Held obituary
Other Lives: Educationist who gave London’s Language and Literacy Unit a national focus
May 2020
Numeracy skills are vital as we emerge from the coronavirus crisis
Andy Haldane
The Bank of England’s chief economist argues that maths is more essential than ever
May 2019
Corbyn’s promise to abolish Sats is merely a crowd pleaser
Fiona Millar
Those who cheer Labour’s plan to end primary school testing forget how we failed pupils in the good old 90s
February 2018
Schools minister Nick Gibb refuses to answer 'what is 8 x 9?' on TV
Times table tests to be trialled in primary schools in March
July 2017
Business leader
Horror stories told by central bankers will not end in an interest rate shock
Traders got into a panic about impending rate increases last week, but they have taken fright too soon
January 2017
In a post-truth world, statistics could provide an essential public service
John Pullinger
Statisticians can now amass more data more quickly than ever. This could help us to make decisions based on real numbers, not prejudice
May 2016
How to teach ...
How to teach ... statistics
Whether it is stem and leaf diagrams or school litter surveys, here are some resources to help your students understand and interrogate figures
February 2016
The Life Project: what makes some people happy, healthy and successful – and others not?
The factors that most affect our life chances are revealed as the first group of British babies followed in a remarkable cradle-to-grave study turns 70
