Latest news with #nationalcurriculum
Daily Mail
7 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Could YOU do a child's maths homework? Take our test to find out
One in three adults, 32 per cent, say they don't have enough basic maths knowledge to help a child with their homework - and their finances could be suffering as a result. As many as 27 per cent of adults have faced financial issues or put off financial tasks in the last year, according to research from Barclays. Of course, Pythagoras' Theorem and quadratic equations might not exactly translate to problems involving your mortgage or credit card rates, but they can teach useful skills such as critical thinking and logic. Despite a number of benefits from school maths classes, they tend to be lacking in direct financial applications to help students in later life, leading to the current situation in which many adults are finding themselves. This is Money has previously reported that financial education is falling short in schools. Recent figures show 84 per cent of schoolchildren want financial education to be included in the new national curriculum. How much primary school maths could you help with? You might not be willing to try your hand at A-Level or GCSE maths papers, but what about when it comes to primary school maths? How many of these questions, taken from past SATs papers, can you answer? 1. Write the missing square number (X) to make this addition correct. 8² + X² = 73 2. Write the missing number to make this calculation correct. 754 × 6 + 754 × 3 = 754 × [ ] 3. Write the missing number to make this division correct. 15,000 ÷ [ ]= 75 Vim Maru, CEO of Barclays UK said, 'We know that people's relationship with money starts to be formed around the age of seven so it's crucial that we are providing children with the number confidence to help them manage and grow their finances in later life.' Figures from audience research firm KidsKnowBest reveal that 46 per cent of children aged 7-14 are worried about money and their future, with 38 per cent saying they are stressed about finances. Eight out of ten adults believe that more resources dedicated to using maths in everyday life would improve financial confidence in the future, with the same proportion recognising that these skills are essential for making informed financial decisions. People are at least aware of their shortcomings, with 39 per cent keen to improve their number skills, according to the research. More younger people too, some 61 per cent, said they would like to improve their numeracy skills. Some 43 per cent said they think their finances would be in a stronger position if they had better skills and confidence when it comes to maths. Among those aged 18 to 27, this figure is even higher, with 76 per cent saying their finances would benefit from having deeper mathematical knowledge. Sam Sims, chief executive of charity National Numeracy said: 'We encourage everyone to have the basics of numeracy in place before they reach for their calculators, so they can understand the calculation, make sense of the numbers, and spot if something is not right. 'Having the confidence to use numbers in daily life is a vital skill - whether for work, helping children with homework, or managing money. And not feeling number confident is nothing to be ashamed of - millions of people in the UK feel the same, but everyone can improve with some practice and the right support.' Barclays has partnered with National Numeracy to train 'numeracy champions' in 60 primary schools, which it says will help to boost the numeracy skills or 13,000 children, parents, carers and staff. Sims said: 'Our new partnership with Barclays will help thousands of people build that confidence, supporting better decisions at home, in school and with their finances.'
Telegraph
17-07-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Telegraph style book: Nn
N Nafta: North American Free Trade Agreement. Not NAFTA Nasa: Never NASA national curriculum: Lower case National Farmers' Union National Insurance (NI) National Lottery National Trust: Thereafter the trust nativity: For the birth of Jesus Nato (never NATO) NatWest 'Ndrangheta nearby: In all uses Neil, Andrew nerve-racking net zero: Lower case Netanyahu, Benjamin Network Rail: Owns and operates all Britain's rail infrastructure nevertheless Newcastle upon Tyne, Newcastle-under-Lyme New Year's Eve/Day, New Year: But 'in the new year' Newspaper Publishers Association: No apostrophe Nicholson, Jack Nineteen Eighty-Four: The novel by George Orwell. Not 1984 nitrobenzene No 10 Downing Street, No 10 No 1: As in 'the Beatles hold the record for No 1s', should be written out as number ones nonetheless no one numskull
The Guardian
11-06-2025
- General
- The Guardian
‘The impact has been profound': the headteacher bringing play back to the classroom
When Tina Farr visits the year 2 classroom at her Oxford primary school, she can feel the changed atmosphere since play was put firmly back on the curriculum. 'When I walk in there, I just feel the energy. The children come running up with things they have made, there is always a shop on the go so they will be pricing up something or finding change. They are always working together,' the headteacher says. It might not seem radical to see six- and seven-year-olds busy in a world of imagination, but in the majority of primary schools it is not how children this age learn. Play-based learning – letting children move around, interact with friends, make up games and explore within loosely guided activities – usually stops when they leave reception. Lessons then become desk-based, focused on reading and writing. Farr had long championed the value of play, working hard to bring it into breaktimes through the Opal play scheme. But the eureka moment for the school came when her year 2 teacher suggested incorporating play-based learning into her lessons – extending it beyond reception. After reading the Department for Education's guidelines, Farr realised she had the freedom to decide how to deliver the national curriculum. 'It says we are free to arrange the school day any way we like – it actually says that at point 3.4 in the national curriculum. 'Teachers would recognise what we do as learning, but we do it through play. For example we might explain money and maths to them with a PowerPoint then they move on to games and play on that theme, it doesn't take any more planning than the standard approach.' With play-based learning in place for her year 1 and 2 children, Farr then looked at where else she could change any practices that weren't working. 'There is so much that we can do within our current system. We just think we can't. If a practice isn't aligned with healthy child development, why are we doing it? The school's year 5 children – aged nine and 10 – were struggling to sit still in a cramped room so she removed all the furniture. 'Children are shamed for needing to move their bodies in cramped classrooms,' she says. 'So we took out all the tables and chairs and decided to let them sit or lie or stand where they liked. It wasn't expensive, it was almost free as an experiment.' She added beanbags, comfy chairs and lap trays, as well as a high desks for children to stand at. 'The impact was immediate and profound particularly for the neurodiverse learners. Children now choose where and how to learn, relocating without permission when needed. A class once struggling with attention is now calm, focused, and engaged.' One of the year 5 children said: 'I like flexible seating. I find it very calming. A normal classroom is a bit overwhelming. I like that you don't have to sit at a table but can sit anywhere. I prefer a spinny seat because it makes less noise when you turn your chair around. You can choose who you sit with during the day.' And according to the teacher: 'Their self-regulation has improved immensely. They are much calmer and can have space from someone if they wish. They settle down to work much more readily, and I have more of an opportunity to see their level of engagement which has been deep.' Farr believes the outdated system needs to urgently change. 'If a time traveller arrived from Victorian times into a school they would recognise it immediately. But the world has changed and what we know about the brain has changed. We have the neuroscience to know children learn through play.' In June the school sailed through its Ofsted inspection. 'The inspector was great and really understood our play based learning. They didn't question it and they wrote us a lovely report.' Farr's message for other professionals is that her approach can be replicated. 'It's blown my mind how engaged the children are. It's phenomenal,' she says. 'Don't call our school progressive or maverick. We are teaching the national curriculum but through play.'
ABC News
09-05-2025
- Business
- ABC News
Calls for financial literacy lessons in all schools
There's a push for financial literacy lessons to be part of the national curriculum. Research has shown that managing money is a big worry for young people.
