You Do The Math
According to a study published today, half of the adults in the UK have maths skills no better than those expected of a primary school child.
That’s all very well, but it doesn’t tell us anything about the skill levels of the other two thirds.
Blogging very restricted at the moment because of demands of work. It should quieten down a bit next week.
Family Matters 
I would say that my maths skills are about O level – to those who remember what O level was when I took it, i.e. 1963! (That was when I stopped learning Maths). Apart from geometry, which I never really understood or saw the point of or have had to use since. I make a point of never using a calculator. I can do percentages. I can work out fractions (I do a lot of knitting and converting stitches and changing patterns uses a lot of maths skills). But further than that I cannot go…
I stopped at O level, but I did like the problem-solving side of it. I’ve found that when helping the kids with their homework, I can usually get the answer, but I can’t always explain to them how in a way which they understand. I don’t think it’s always taught very well. There is a teacher at the Small Boy Wonder’s school who is absolutely inspirational – the year the SBW had him, he made enormous strides and enjoyed every minute of it. Sadly, the other teachers he’s had haven’t had the same effect.