Numeracy is a proficiency which involves confidence and competence with numbers and measures. It requires an understanding of the number system, a repertoire of computational skills and an inclination and ability to solve number problems in a variety of contexts. Numeracy also demands practical understanding of the ways in which information is gathered by counting and measuring, and is presented in graphs, diagrams, charts and tables.

As a teacher you can help children to acquire this proficiency by giving a sharp focus to the relevant aspects of the programmes of study for mathematics. The outcome should be numerate pupils who are confident enough to tackle mathematical problems without going immediately to teachers or friends for help. Your pupils should:

have a sense of the size of a number and where it fits into the number system;
know by heart number facts such as number bonds, multiplication tables, doubles and halves;
use what they know by heart to figure out answers mentally;
calculate accurately and efficiently, both mentally and with pencil and paper, drawing on a range of calculation strategies;
recognise when it is appropriate to use a calculator, and be able to do so effectively;
make sense of number problems, including non-routine problems, and recognise the operations needed to solve them;
explain their methods and reasoning using correct mathematical terms;
judge whether their answers are reasonable and have strategies for checking them where necessary;
suggest suitable units for measuring, and make sensible estimates of measurements; and
explain and make predictions from the numbers in graphs, diagrams, charts and tables.