The Council was established five years ago with a bold ambition: to make numeracy a business-led national priority and grow the network of organisations taking action to improve number confidence and skills.
It became the UK’s first leadership coalition dedicated to numeracy, bringing together senior leaders from business and government around a shared belief that improving the nation’s numeracy is too important for any one organisation to tackle alone.
Since then, the Council has developed into an influential leadership group, using the collective expertise, reach and voice of its members to shape national thinking and drive action.
From ambition to action
Over its first five years, the Leadership Council has helped put numeracy higher up the national agenda.
Members have brought the voice of business to major policy discussions, engaged directly with government and policymakers and contributed to national debates about the future of maths and numeracy.
This has included engagement with government ministers, contributions to discussions around Maths to 18 and the Royal Society’s Mathematical Futures programme, evidence to the House of Lords inquiry into Numeracy for Life, and joint communications to hundreds of MPs and Metro Mayors.
Through powerful thought leadership, members have also helped National Numeracy explore how numeracy intersects with some of the biggest challenges facing people and society.
Most recently, this has included Count on It, exploring the relationship between numeracy and people’s ability to understand, use and benefit from artificial intelligence – and the risk that existing inequalities could be widened if people are left without the number confidence and skills they need.
Tackling inequalities
One of the Council’s major areas of work has been addressing inequalities in number confidence.
The Council’s Gender Taskforce brought together senior leaders to examine the persistent gender gap in attitudes towards numbers and identify practical ways organisations could help tackle it.
This work led to the publication of Numeracy for Gender Equality and the Numeracy Equality Charter, setting out recommendations and practical actions to help create change.
Alongside influencing policy and national debate, the Council has helped expand the network of organisations committed to improving numeracy, encouraging action through workplaces, partnerships, schools and communities.
Five years – and the ambition to do more
The five-year report celebrates what has been achieved, but it also looks ahead.
Millions of people across the UK continue to struggle with numbers, affecting their confidence and their ability to navigate everything from work and money to health information and an increasingly data-driven world.
As National Numeracy enters the next phase of its strategy, the Leadership Council will continue to bring influential organisations together, identify emerging challenges and use its collective voice to drive action.
The first five years have demonstrated what is possible when organisations unite around a shared purpose.
Now the ambition is to build on it.
Read the National Numeracy Leadership Council five-year report here:
