Over two thirds (69%) of children across the UK aged 4-14 say numeracy is as easy as pi, whereas parents say their own abilities are lacking. More than half (57%) of parents in London say their maths skills let them down on a daily basis including while at work (57%), when helping with homework (40%) and when working out change (36%).
Top five maths struggles for parents in London
| 1 | At work 57% |
| 2 | Helping with homework 40% |
| 3 | Working out change 36% |
| 4 | Calculating personal finances 30% |
| 5 | Working out the bill in restaurants 26% |
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%), bad teaching (33%) and maths boredom (26%) 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%) 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%) said men and women are equally good but 41% of men in the UK believe men and boys are better. Over half of mums were in disagreement as 53% said both have the same potential.
However, mums are less confident than dads, four in ten (42%) in the UK said they lack skills, versus only 17% 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%) had heard of Albert Einstein and half (51%) knew of Isaac Newton, only (18%) recognised female mathematicians Hannah Fry and Rachel Riley.
