Church House Westminster hosted the finals of the Count on Us Primary Challenge and the Jack Petchey Foundation Count on Us Secondary Challenge on the 29th of June and 1st of July 2021 respectively.

Count on Us is a Mayor’s Fund for London programme for primary and secondary schools. The Challenge is an exciting pan-London maths tournament that improves confidence and attitude by engaging young people in a range of maths activities designed to challenge, motivate, and inspire while developing curriculum-based maths skills.

The unique programme, with its focus on teamwork and collaboration, was run in classrooms and clubs across London’s schools, even during the period of school closures. The activities were developed in partnership with The Maths Zone, an education consultancy, and are in line with the new National Curriculum.

Good numeracy is an effective protective factor against unemployment, low wages and wider societal problems, including poor health. It is feared that the pandemic has pushed young people into a dark age of declining social mobility due to rising economic and educational inequalities. This ‘Covid generation’ faces significant learning losses as a result of prolonged school closures and must quickly fight against time to catch up, particularly in core subjects like maths.