ABOUT US

We believe that with appropriate support and perseverance, everyone can be numerate…

National Numeracy is an independent charity that focuses on adults and children with low levels of numeracy. We aim to challenge prevailing attitudes, influence public policy and research, identify and promote effective approaches to improving numeracy. Where possible, we will work in partnership with others to achieve these aims.

Founded in 2012, the work of National Numeracy will be carried out in collaboration with, and support from, key partner organisations and funders. We are a small team applying our expertise and passion for the issue to address the frequently neglected yet essential role of numeracy in our everyday lives…

Who are we?

Chief Executive
Mike Ellicock

Mike was previously the Managing Director of Numicon an innovative maths teaching approach now used in over 8,000 schools, until its sale to Oxford University Press in 2010. He is an ex-international sportsman and a former Parachute Regiment officer before moving into business. He gained an MBA from Cranfield School of Management and was a Global Relationship Manager for HSBC Corporate Bank before joining Numicon in 2008. Having chaired the National Numeracy Steering Group whilst supporting Oxford University Press post acquisition, he has become the inaugural Chief Executive now that the concept has become a reality. Mike is married with three young daughters and is a governor of a local primary school.

Chairman
Chris Humphries CBE

Chris has most recently led the very successful World Skills London 2011 competition as Chairman. Chris served for three years as Chief Executive of the UK Commission for Employment and Skills from January 2008. This appointment followed high profile national roles such as Director General of the City and Guilds of London Institute, Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce, and Chief Executive of the TEC National Council. Since 1982, Chris has worked actively with Government as an adviser on a wide variety of education and training projects. He has previously been Chairman of the Government's National Skills Task Force, and of UK Skills, and a founding member of the national Learning and Skills Council. His work in many of these roles led to him being awarded the CBE for services to training and enterprise in 1998.

Vice-Chairman
John Griffith-Jones

John is currently Deputy Chairman of the Financial Services Authority, and he is due to become Chairman of one of its two replacement bodies, the Financial Conduct Authority, in 2013. Until recently, he was Chairman and Senior Partner of KPMG UK and Joint Chairman of KPMG Europe. He had worked with KPMG since 1975, initially in audit and then in corporate finance. John has been Chairman of the Every Child a Chance Trust, is a trustee of National Numeracy and a member of the advisory board of the Cambridge Judge Business School. John is a graduate of Trinity Hall, University of Cambridge, and an Associate of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales.

Trustees

Lynn Churchman

Lynn’s professional life in mathematics education is driven by her passion for both the subject and the capacity of people to learn it successfully. She is a nationally well-known and regarded figure in the mathematics education field, and has since 2007 been the Chair of the National Association of Mathematics Advisers (NAMA), a professional Association for mathematics education Advisers, Inspectors and Consultants. She is the Director of the National Mathematics Partnership and has been a member of the Association of Teachers of Mathematics since 1980. She has been both an Adviser and a Consultant to the National Centre for Excellence in Teaching Mathematics (NCETM), a Director of Mathematics at ARK Schools, a Specialist Adviser of Mathematics to Ofsted from 2001 to 2006 and the Principal Manager for the Mathematics Team at QCA from 1998 to 2002.

Di Hatchett

Di is an expert in early intervention in literacy and mathematics and in the leadership of inclusion and effective support for children most at risk of not achieving their potential. Her extensive career in primary education has spanned over 40 years, including twelve years as a head teacher, service as Senior Director for inclusion and achievement with the National Strategies, and, since 2008, as Director of the Every Child a Chance Trust, leading the development and national roll out of the highly successful Every Child a Reader and Every Child Counts programmes. Di’s field of expertise is the development of high-quality approaches to intervention for children who struggle with the development of core skills in literacy and/or mathematics.

Wendy Jones

Wendy is a freelance writer and communications specialist with a background in journalism and broadcasting. A former BBC education correspondent and Today programme reporter/presenter, Wendy has also worked both as the BBC’s Deputy Secretary and as Head of Education Policy where she developed a particular interest in adult skills. She has been a trustee of several charities and a complaints panel lay chair for the NHS.

Belinda Vernon

Belinda is Co-Director of the research and consulting team at New Philanthropy Capital (NPC). She developed NPC’s methodology for analysing charities, and now leads NPC’s work to boost the quality of charity trusteeship. Belinda managed NPC’s research into numeracy which resulted in the initiative to set up National Numeracy as the new charity to improve numeracy skills.

Belinda has previously worked as an equity analyst for Credit Suisse, a management consultant for Coopers & Lybrand, and a mechanical engineer for Shell.

Lord Claus Moser

Lord Moser was Professor of Social Statistics at LSE until 1967, Head of Government Statistics from 1967 to 1978, Deputy Chairman of N.M.Rothschild from 1978 to 1984, and has since undertaken key roles within Oxford University, Keele University, the Open University of Israel. Previously a Statistical Adviser to the Robbins Committee on Higher Education, the National Commission on Education, and Chairman of the Basic Skills Agency where he produced a report in 1999 on literacy and numeracy. As a Trustee of the Rayne Foundation, Lord Moser commissioned the ‘Count me in’ Report by New Philanthropy Capital that eventually led to the creation of National Numeracy

Chris Rhodes

Chris is Executive Director, Group Product and Marketing, of Nationwide Building Society. Chris joined Nationwide in April 2009 from Abbey Santander, where he was director of retail distribution for Alliance and Leicester (A&L).Chris’ responsibilities include Nationwide’s product range, its commercial activities, consumer finance, customer experience and customer strategy & marketing. Chris has spent 20 years working in the financial services sector and his previous positions include deputy managing director of Girobank and retail operations director of A&L. In 2003 he was appointed as managing director retail banking for the entire A&L Group. In 2007 Chris moved to become group finance director, a role he held until the merger with Santander in 2008.

You can also learn more about what we are trying to do and how we are doing it. If you have any comments or queries please contact us!