Rachel Riley urges dad and mom to cease saying ‘I am unable to do maths’ as a result of it passes on the worry to youngsters as she discusses UK’s big ‘numeracy downside’

Dad and mom have to overhaul their detrimental attitudes in direction of maths in a bid to curb the UK’s ‘numeracy downside,’ Rachel Riley has mentioned.

The Countdown star thinks folks have to cease proudly saying, ‘I am unable to do maths’ as it’s contributing to youngsters feeling ‘intimidated’ by the topic in school.

Rachel, 37, who has a grasp’s diploma in arithmetic from Oxford University, mentioned younger ladies are significantly prone to ‘outdoors influences’ so want extra encouragement.

‘We do have an issue within the UK with numeracy – 50 per cent of adults are on the degree you’d anticipate of an 11-year-old,’ she mentioned on the Spinning Plates podcast.

‘Once more, it is decrease for ladies.’

Dad and mom have to overhaul their detrimental attitudes in direction of maths in a bid to curb the UK’s ‘numeracy downside,’ Rachel Riley has mentioned

She mentioned: ‘And we’re passing on detrimental emotions and worry of it to youngsters and I believe we have to change the best way we talk about it, change the perspective and never be petrified of it and never really feel intimidated and simply give it a go.

‘Even when you’re entering into and attempting to assist your youngsters, over the pandemic extra folks had been having to do extra maths to a better degree than they did earlier than, as they had been serving to their youngsters for apparent causes.

‘You may return and be taught it collectively and when you’re asking questions, nice, it is a studying alternative.’

Rachel added: ‘I believe it is actually vital to be optimistic about it in the identical manner you would not proudly say, “I am unable to learn,” do not say, “I am unable to do maths,” it is simply, “I am unable to do it but.”

The mathematician, who was simply 22 when she took over from Carol Vorderman on the long-running Channel 4 present in 2009, needs to present maths a makeover in the identical manner science has had one because of Professor Brian Cox.

‘I believe there are lots of people which have carried out nice issues for standard science – the Brian Cox impact of shopping for a number of telescopes,’ she mentioned.

Rachel, who’s mom to daughters Maven, three, and one-year-old Noa, mentioned whereas science is now not thought of ‘nerdy and geeky,’ folks nonetheless do not ‘perceive’ what mathematicians do.

The Countdown star thinks folks have to cease proudly saying, ‘I am unable to do maths’ as it’s contributing to youngsters feeling ‘intimidated’ by the topic in school

Household: Rachel is mom to daughters Maven, three, and one-year-old Noa and is married to former Strictly skilled Pasha Kovalev

‘The world has modified a lot, you realize that when you go into science, expertise, engineering, maths, you are going to get a job and probably the job you are going to get when you’re a scholar does not even exist but however you are going to be employable,’ she mentioned.

‘I believe the extra we are able to encourage youngsters, and I prefer to encourage ladies particularly as there’s nonetheless this gender distinction, notion and numbers going into research.

‘Statistically, ladies are extra prone to outdoors influences.’

She added: ‘So, when you inform a woman, “You are not good at maths,” particularly at a younger age, or anybody actually, they implant that they usually begin to consider it and perpetuate it.’

Rachel, who’s married to former Strictly Come Dancing companion Pasha Kovalev, is a supporter of Nationwide Numeracy, a charity selling progress mindset about maths and never feeling defeated by numeracy.