Why do we focus on confidence?
From our work with adults and children across the UK, we know that the most important factor when building skills is having the belief that you can and will improve. Confidence is the crucial first step towards brighter futures with numbers.
Why does it matter?
Around half of working-age adults in the country are estimated to have the numeracy level expected of a primary school child, and over a third of adults experience maths anxiety.
Feeling unconfident with numbers can affect us in numerous ways: whether life-changing, like not applying for jobs that require using numbers, or day-to-day, like finding the best deals in the supermarket or understanding statistics in the news.
And maths worries can be passed from generation to generation: 59% of parents find maths the toughest subject to teach to their children, and 2.1 million children across the UK are likely to be at risk of low number confidence due to the ripple effect from their parents and carers.
What is Number Confidence Week?
Number Confidence Week gets the UK feeling better about numbers.
Real stories, expert tips and our celebrity ambassadors show that number confidence can be built – whatever your starting point. With inspiring videos, practical tools and resources, all completely free, it’s your chance to tackle number worries and take that first step.
With help from our Headline Supporter Barclays LifeSkills and a group of pioneering organisations there’ll be something for everyone, with activities for adults and organisations, as well as schools, parents and those supporting children.
What’s the theme?
The theme for Number Confidence Week 2026 is ‘Count on Your Community’. We’re inviting people across the UK to help create spaces where everyone can talk openly about numbers, feel safe making mistakes, and take steps together to build their confidence.
Your community might be a place, with people from your town or village, or it might be based on an interest, like a book club, faith group, sports club or choir. It could be big, like your school or workplace, or more personal, like your family or friends. Maybe it’s in person, at a pub or social centre, or online in a forum, group chat, or on social media.
Anywhere you connect with others is your community. It is where people tend to learn best. If you can learn with and from others who feel just like you do, your confidence will grow.
And by building our number confidence, we are helping our wider communities to thrive, being able to use the maths we need in our everyday lives and roles.
Sam Sims, CEO of National Numeracy, said: “We’re thrilled to launch Number Confidence Week 2026. Our experience shows that overcoming barriers and building confidence with numbers can empower us to make the decisions that benefit us throughout our everyday lives. The impact can be life changing.
“Last year’s campaign saw people take over 289,000 actions towards improving their confidence, and the impact of that will only continue to grow.
“Join us this November to get even more people ready to take their first steps towards a brighter future with numbers.”
