Essex Year of Numbers is a countywide campaign that aims to inspire a love of learning, with a focus on numeracy. It is a year of exciting learning opportunities, fun events and initiatives aimed at children aged 0 to 18-years-old. The events aim to give every child’s maths skills a magic boost.
Parents can also access guidance and support through the programme to help build numbers and learning into homelife. Parents, caregivers and family members play a vital role in a child’s education. You can support children at home with homework and number-based learning.
Low numeracy skills can disadvantage people later in life and lead to problems such as debt, unemployment and even poor health. Essex Year of Numbers will help people of all ages and backgrounds to improve their numeracy skills and feel confident using maths.
Upcoming events
Take a look at some of the upcoming events happening in your area. This section will be regularly updated, so please keep an eye out to see what’s happening!
Add a touch of magic to the school holidays with the Summer Magic Trails
Make it an enchanted summer at the Essex Country Parks with the free Summer Magic trails. Children can help the Essex Country Park rangers find and count the magical creatures on the trails. The Summer Magic Trails are running from Saturday 20 July 2024 at:
Read and Count With Me Under a Tree
Encourage your little ones to enjoy the great outdoors with Read and Count with Me Under a Tree bags. Read and Count With Me Under a Tree packs are now available for families to borrow at all local County Parks and selected libraries. The Read and Count With Me Under a Tree bookbags are packed full of stories, activity sheets and top tips for families to use in the great outdoors. Find more information about the Read and Count With Me Under a Tree bookbags.
Read and Count With Me By the Sea
New for this summer the Read and Count With Me By the Sea events are based in a variety of different locations across Essex. The sea bags include lots of fun activities and an opportunity to explore stories with a sea theme. From beach huts at Walton-on-the-Naze to Promenade Park in Maldon, find an Read and Count With Me By the Sea event near you.
Cricket4Numbers
On Monday 10 June pupils and care home residents were treated to a special event at the Essex County Cricket Club to celebrate the Essex Year of Numbers campaign. The event focused on an all-age intergenerational approach to numbers through the sporting theme of Cricket.
During the day, pupils and residents tested out the re-creation of the Venn Bowling Machine by Cambridge University, learnt how to play Clock and Table Cricket, which promote access and inclusivity to sporting and social activity with a focus on numbers.
This event shows the ongoing work between Education, Adult Social Care with wider partners to create intergenerational opportunities for young and older people to enjoy creative ways to link to numbers for learning, alongside the wellbeing benefits of social connection across generations and communities through age-friendly activities. Watch Cricket for Numbers participants describe the Cricket4Numbers event.
Everyday Magic of Numbers
The Everyday Magic of Numbers series demonstrates how numbers are used in everyday life. We’ll be sharing videos from key community members, sharing how they use numbers in their profession. Kicking off the series is musician, poet, writer and educator, Christian Foley, with an exciting look at how numbers are used in Shakespeare’s writing. Watch Christian Foley discuss how he use numbers in their everyday life.
Bobby Seagull's numeracy top tips
Latest research reveals that almost half of Essex parents do not feel confident when helping children with maths homework. To help combat this, we have teamed up with Celebrity maths expert Bobby Seagull to provide a series of fun and accessible tips that will encourage families to embrace the ‘Everyday Magic of Maths’.
Tips include examples of the magic of maths in everyday routines, from sport to eating. Read Bobby Seagull’s numeracy top tips and embrace the everyday magic of maths.
Download the Essex Year of... app
The Essex Year of... app will inspire you and your child to enjoy the magic of maths with confidence. You will find useful learning resources and information about upcoming events.
Download the Essex Year of app from the App Store
Download the Essex Year of app from Google Play
Available support for parents
By helping your child at home, you demonstrate the importance of learning, which makes a huge difference to your child’s progress. There is a range of support available from education settings to libraries.
Your child’s nursery or school is a great source of support. We encourage you to talk to your child’s education setting about embedding numbers into your home life. This can be particularly useful if you are struggling with your child’s homework and need help.
Staff and volunteers at your local library can also offer support with your child’s numeracy. Find your local library online. If you are keen on developing your maths confidence, you can do so with our Multiply programme.
Families can access support from the Nation Numeracy website. The free family maths toolkit provides a range of ideas and free activities to help families enjoy maths together.
If you have any ideas of what you might like to see for Essex Year of Numbers or if you have any questions please email essex.yearofnumbers@essex.gov.uk
