Why do millions of adults struggle with numbers?
We looked at how a better lifelong approach to numeracy could change that
Numbers shape decisions we make every day.
We use them when checking a payslip, comparing a phone contract, taking medication, understanding a mortgage or interpreting information in the news.
That is numeracy: recognising when maths is needed, knowing which skills to use and judging whether the answer makes sense.
England has made progress. But around 8 million adults still have numeracy skills below those expected of a nine-year-old.
Low numeracy can affect people's work, finances and health. Confidence matters too.
Negative attitudes and anxiety around maths can start young and persist throughout life.
Improving numeracy cannot start and finish in the maths classroom.
It needs to be a lifelong journey.
Four stages of the numeracy journey which need change
1
Early years
2
School
3
Ages 16-19
4
Adulthood
Early years: building confidence from the start
“The development window for learning to count is between ages 2 and 4.”
The foundations for numeracy are laid long before a child starts formal maths lessons.
Children develop number skills through counting, understanding quantities, recognising shapes and playing with numbers.
But some children are behind even from the start of school.
In 2024/25, 22.4% did not meet the expected level in mathematics at the end of Reception.
Parents and carers have an important part to play.
“You are showing the parents that they do not need to be anxious about this and that there is a fun and accessible way for them to do this with their children.”
Reading with young children happens five to seven times a week on average. Numbers-related play happens only around once a week.
Numeracy with young children does not mean sitting down to do sums.
Counting while shopping, cooking, board games, number songs and talking about shapes can all make numbers part of everyday life.
Parents need support too. We found that the Best Start in Life and NHS websites do not currently provide guidance on children's numeracy skills.
Best Start Family Hubs also provide an opportunity to reach families early.
Numeracy should be treated as an equal to literacy in Government education policy.
Parents should receive clear guidance on simple activities they can use at home, to help build their children’s sense of numbers as they start school. Best Start hubs should provide or signpost families to good quality early numeracy support.
School years: spot problems before they grow
“If they have fallen behind at that point, they are then going to find it difficult to access their GCSEs as fully as they would wish to do.”
School is where children build the mathematical knowledge that supports numeracy throughout their lives.
England has made significant progress internationally. But too many pupils still leave school without secure foundations in maths and numeracy.
Numeracy is not an easier version of maths. It depends on secure mathematical knowledge and being able to apply it in real situations.
Maths also builds on what has been learned before. If pupils develop gaps in foundational concepts, later learning becomes more difficult.
We heard that weaknesses should be identified earlier, so pupils can receive targeted support before reaching GCSE.
“Skills need to be regularly drip fed.”
High-quality teaching is crucial. That means recruiting specialist maths teachers and supporting primary teachers and non-specialists who teach mathematical content.
Technology is also changing the skills people need.
As calculators, smartphones and AI systems perform more routine calculations, people still need to understand what calculation is required and whether the answer is plausible.
The Government should sustain investment in specialist maths teachers, the National Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics (NCETM) and maths hubs.
Schools should be supported to identify gaps in pupils' mathematical understanding early, including by piloting a light touch diagnostic assessment in Year 8.
A National Year of Numeracy should promote and celebrate the importance of numeracy, its teaching and practice.
Ages 16 to 19: making a second chance count
“Resits at 16 or 19 are too late.”
A grade 4 in GCSE maths is an important gateway to further study, training and employment.
But in 2026, more than one in four 16-year-olds in England did not achieve grade 4 or above.
Many then enter a cycle of GCSE resits. Of those resitting GCSE maths in 2026, only around 15% passed.
For some young people, simply repeating the same course and exam is not enough.
A young person who achieved grade 3 may benefit from targeted teaching before another GCSE attempt. Learners with grades 1 or 2 may need a stepping-stone qualification to rebuild their foundational knowledge first.
“Whatever [the Government does] that is not a GCSE, you very quickly need to make sure [it] has some currency.”
We also heard that important information can be lost when pupils move from school to further education. A college may know only their GCSE grade and perhaps the tier entered.
The system itself needs to be clearer. GCSE maths, Functional Skills, Core Maths and the proposed stepping-stone qualification serve different purposes. Learners and employers need to understand where each route can lead.
The Government should publish a clear post-16 mathematics and numeracy framework explaining the different qualifications and progression routes.
Young people with grade 3 should normally remain on a GCSE pathway, supported by diagnostic assessment and targeted teaching.
Further education colleges need sufficient funding and specialist teaching capacity to deliver effective GCSE maths resits.
Adulthood: make every door the right door
Leaving education does not mean leaving numbers behind.
Work, raising children, buying a home, managing our health and finances and preparing for retirement can all involve important numerical decisions.
But adults do not pass through a single institution that can routinely identify where they need help.
Adult learning therefore needs to be practical, flexible and connected to people's lives. Learning might happen through a workplace, college, library, community organisation or online.
“We need every lever that they have across Government … the numbers are big and we cannot do it just as one sector.”
The former Multiply programme provides useful lessons. Its strengths included flexible learning, local partnerships, trusted community settings and practical support.
Managing money can also provide a powerful reason to improve numeracy.
People need numerical skills to understand borrowing, interest rates, pensions, mortgages, budgeting and financial risk. We heard that people over 55 who left school at 16 have, on average, higher financial numeracy than people in their 30s with PhDs.
Formal qualifications alone do not guarantee strong financial numeracy.
People should not have to navigate a complicated adult skills system alone.
We want a “no wrong door” approach, where services such as jobcentres, primary care, housing services and probation routinely signpost adults towards appropriate numeracy support.
Central government also needs clearer responsibility for adult numeracy, even where services are planned and delivered locally.
Our principle is simple: nationally guaranteed, locally delivered.
The Government should give adult numeracy a clear ministerial home and publish a cross-government adult numeracy strategy. It should build on the lessons of Multiply by supporting flexible, short and community-based provision with clear routes into further learning.
Public-facing services should adopt a “no wrong door” approach and routinely signpost adults who may benefit towards numeracy support. People seeking help with debt should also be signposted towards financial education that can help them manage their finances in the longer term.
Improving numeracy is not about turning everyone into a mathematician.
It is about giving people the confidence and skills to use numbers when they need them, throughout their life.
That begins with play and conversation in early childhood. It continues through good teaching at school and meaningful second chances after 16.
And support needs to remain available throughout adulthood, as work, money, family life, health and retirement create new reasons, and motivations, to use numbers.
Everyone should have a clear opportunity to identify and improve their numeracy throughout life.
Numeracy is for life
What happens next?
We have made our recommendations to the Government and it has two months to respond to our report.
Read the full report on our website.
Our committee is a special inquiry committee for 2026.
Find out more about our inquiry and our committee.
Follow us on LinkedIn.
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