Lewisham College's maths department hosted its annual Numeracy Challenge at its Lewisham Way Campus to encourage learners to test their maths ability and develop a strong appreciation of the subject and skills.
The competition coincided with National Numeracy Day, a yearly national awareness day that raises the importance of numeracy and encourages people to sharpen their skills and have confidence with numbers. This year's competition saw 55 learners from different subject areas battle it in an Olympiad-type mathematical competition.
Throughout the challenge, learners took on several mathematical challenges such as percentage change, square numbers, volume calculation, estimation, negative numbers, proportion, discounts, and repayment calculations – all of which tested their skills in numeracy.
After a rigorous judging assessment of the answers from learners, Maria de Ciela Valdez, an ESOL and Maths GCSE learner, won the 2023 Numeracy Challenge Competition.
Maria de Ciela Valdez, said: "Winning this competition has come as a complete and utter surprise to me, but I was well equipped as I am currently studying for a GCSE in Maths. I found the challenges straightforward, and my learning paid off. I am honoured to have won, and this accomplishment will help grow my confidence in numeracy, which is beneficial will be my future career."
Jayne Morgan, Vice-Principal at Lewisham College, said: "The Numeracy Competition Challenge turnout highlights our learners' enthusiasm for maths. Numeracy is an essential skill to master, as you will always need to apply it to any situation in life. Seeing our learners take part in this challenge and apply their knowledge of the subject in an Olympic numeracy-style tournament was exciting and motivational. We look forward to running the competition next year and having more learners participate."
Joyce Elemson, Head of Maths Faculty at Lewisham College and competition judge, said: "The rationale behind the competition was to raise learners' awareness of the annual National Numeracy Day and to help them develop good numeracy skills to generate effective participation in everyday economics. The huge numeracy skills deficiency among adults in the UK is recognised by the government, with the intention to bridge the gap following investments in the numerical education of the masses through the recently announced Multiply project."
Lewisham College offers Multiply, a new government-funded programme to help adults improve their numeracy skills. To find out more and apply, visit: lewisham.ac.uk/multiply
For information on maths courses for 16-18s and adults, visit: lewisham.ac.uk/englishandmaths
