Do you have concerns when it comes to your child falling behind in primary school?
Experts have warned that too many children are lagging behind in maths before they even start school.
A report published by the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for maths and numeracy, found more than one in four youngsters fail to achieve the level expected of them in the subject at the age of five.
More than a quarter (28%) of children in England failed to achieve the expected level in maths at the end of the early years foundation stage last year.
But dads, what age should you start talking numbers with your children?
Learning begins at home with you and your partner being your child’s first educators.
Most parents encourage learning numbers from an early age. How many times have you heard parents counting one to ten while you’re out and about?
But many mums and dads equally rely just as much on the work done at pre-schools and nurseries especially if families are using childcare from a young age.
National numeracy chief executive, Mike Ellicock said: “We really do need a drive to create more positive attitudes to maths so that early years staff – and parents – pass on the right messages.
He added: “If children don’t start to develop mathematical confidence and skills at an early age, we know they are unlikely to catch up later.”
The paper is calling for a better trained and qualified workforce and more focus on the vital subject in the early years.
Under the current system, maths is included in the early years curriculum for England.
Youngsters are expected to learn basic skills, such as counting to 20, simple adding and subtracting and solving simple problems with shapes and measurements.
A recent study of more than 1000 parents of primary schoolchildren, found that 46 per cent don’t feel equipped to help with their maths homework, particularly with long division, conversion between decimals, fractions and percentages.
Dads, it might not be your strong point but maths is an essential life skill that is required as part of the national curriculum.
There’s plenty of advice and support online for you to build on your skills and impart your knowledge onto your children.
