Find out what’s happening and how you can get involved over the coming week, and on National Numeracy Day itself, Wednesday 21 May.
Remember, everything is free! The day is run by us, the independent charity National Numeracy, backed by the campaign’s founding supporter KPMG and a host of pioneering businesses and organisations committed to helping the nation be more numerate.
Schools! If you would like to get involved, sign up here. We have an easy-to-use toolkit for both primary and secondary schools, with lesson starter videos, lesson plans from White Rose Maths and Maths Appeal, plus activities to support the day. It's all been put together to make it easy for teachers to take part.
And if you'd like to get started on improving your numeracy straight away, head over to our free tool, the National Numeracy Challenge.
Why does National Numeracy Day have a money theme?
The eighth National Numeracy Day has a focus on something all of us care about: the money in our pockets.
- Feeling confident with numbers can help you make the most of your money.
- But our research shows that half of UK adults struggle with maths.
- This can make managing money tricky.
- Paying bills, understanding bank statements, finding the best deals… if you don’t feel confident with numbers, dealing with them in daily life can feel overwhelming.
- Struggling with numbers can make people more vulnerable to debt, unemployment, poor health and fraud.
But the good news is that everyone can improve their number know-how. That’s what National Numeracy Day is all about: helping you feel more confident dealing with the numbers in everyday life. So, whether you love maths or loathe it – we've got you!
What is happening for National Numeracy Day 2025?
Throughout the day, and indeed the next few weeks, we have a fantastic line-up of events, celebrity activities and resources for all ages. Stay tuned to the National Numeracy website and follow our social media accounts to catch all the action.
Who better than to help the nation save money by brushing up on their numbers, than our Ambassador Martin Lewis, the Money Saving Expert? Look out for Martin talking about why he thinks numeracy is crucial for being able to manage your money.
Join us for these free events
Monday 19 May 2025
- Join this! 12:30pm-1pm – The Big Number Natter with The Money Charity. Free online event for adults.
Love it or loathe it, we want to hear what you have to say about maths and money. Join us to chat about how you feel about the numbers in your life. Register for the event
Tuesday 20 May 2025
- Join this! 12pm (midday) on Instagram – Money and Maths for young adults
Tune in to an Instagram Live event with the Bank of England, Mr MoneyJar – asks our Ambassador Rotimi Merriman-Johnson and our CEO Sam Sims. It’s your chance to ask questions and get tips and hints. Follow the Bank of England Instagram account. - Watch this! Throughout the day on Instagram – Katya Jones' Big Number Natter
Tune in to see our Ambassador and Strictly star Katya Jones’s Big Number Natter with schoolchildren at Capital One’s London HQ. Follow National Numeracy and Katya’s Instagram accounts to see what Katya gets up to.
Wednesday 21 May 2025 – National Numeracy Day
- Join this! 9:30am – National Numeracy Day Live: Bobby’s Picnic Adventure. Free online event for children.
A star-studded livestreamed event for primary school age children that you can watch via our website. Our Ambassador Bobby Seagull hosts with award-winning children's book author and illustrator Rob Biddulph drawing live, co-hosted by KPMG. Watch here - Join this! 12.30pm – Keep It Simple: Everyday Money Hacks. Free online event for adults
Join our free webinar offering handy hints and tips for managing your money, with Nathan Wilde from Nudge, the financial wellbeing people. Join in here - Join this! Throughout the day, on Instagram – The Big Number Natter with Denise Welch.
Our Ambassador and Loose Women TV star Denise will be chatting to her celebrity friends about maths and money. Follow Denise's Instagram account to see what they have to say. - Visit us in person! Money and maths event with Asda Hyson Green, Nottingham
If you live in the Nottingham area, why not come along and meet us at Asda in Hyson Green with friends from the Nottingham Financial Resilience Partnership and Experian? We'd love to see you!
Monday 2 June 2025
- Visit us in person! Maths Confidence Café Clifton, Nottingham
Nottingham Trent University, with support of National Numeracy, is running friendly drop-in café sessions to support the local community with the numbers in their lives. Got questions about understanding household bills, tax, pensions, debt, credit cards? Pop down!
There are loads of other ways to get involved
For children – have fun with money and maths
- Enter the Number Heroes Competition, for ages 3-13, including a SEND category, with six school prize bundles worth £1000 each up for grabs. The competition closes on
- Little ones can have fun with BBC CBeebies Numberblocks worksheets
- Or go ice cream shopping at the NumBots ice cream bots cafe
- Go dress to impress by shopping for your favourite rock star outfit with Times Tables Rock Stars
- Get dancing with Katya Jones and rapping with Harry Baker and learn about saving with Mr MoneyJar
- Families can play and learn together with our Family Maths Toolkit money-themed activities for ages 4-16
For adults – get confident with everyday maths
- Try the National Numeracy Challenge, our free tool to help you improving your numeracy in just 10 minutes
- Read our real-life stories and see if you can relate. Let some of our learners inspire you with how they overcame their own struggles with numeracy.
- Have a look at our Ambassador Rachel Riley’s confidence tips for parents
- If you have dyscalculia (dyslexia with numbers) - our resources with our Ambassador Iona Bain can help.
- Check out free money resources from our partners, including Experian, The Money Charity and Barclays LifeSkills.
- Take part in The Big Number Natter – grab your free resources and getting nattering about how you feel about numbers
- Watch out for our Ambassador Dr Linda Papadopoulos speaking in the media about boosting your confidence around money and maths
Five reasons why the UK needs National Numeracy Day
If you’re not sure why we make a song and dance about numbers on 21 May, have a look at these facts and figures:
- Half of UK adults struggle with maths, with the number skills roughly expected at primary school level.
- Poor numeracy costs the economy £25 billion a year.
- On average, people with a basic level of numeracy earn 26% more than those without.
- 24% of women and 16% of men are anxious about maths. Women are consistently more anxious about using maths and numbers in daily life.
- Almost 1 in 5 adults (18%) said they would avoid applying for a job or qualification because it, or the interview process involved maths.
