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Literacy and numeracy

What does literacy and numeracy mean?

: How are your children getting on in reading and maths?

Literacy is the ability to read and write, but also includes skills like critical thinking, listening, speaking, viewing and presenting.
Numeracy is being at home with numbers, and knowing the smartest way to solve mathematical problems.

How important are literacy and numeracy skills?

Workforce literacy is one of the key skill shortages facing the New Zealand economy.
An estimated 43% of New Zealanders have difficulty with the literacy demands of their job. An estimated 51% of adult workers have low numeracy.
According to a recent survey of New Zealand employers, literacy and numeracy are ranked in the top three skills that employers look for in an employee.

Sources: Education Counts, 'Adult Literacy and Life Skills Survey', 2006; and Industry Training Federation, 'Business New Zealand Skills and Training Survey', 2007.

What problems do low literacy and numeracy skills cause in everyday life?

Poor literacy, language and numeracy can affect a person’s feeling of power and control over their lives, and their self-confidence. Here are some things they may find difficult:

Managing finances.
Reading mail.
Sitting a written driver’s licence test.
Communicating with teachers.
Following what their children are reading when they read aloud.
Helping their children with their homework.
Gaining qualifications, and therefore improving job prospects.

"Poor literacy levels make it difficult for individuals to provide for their families, or to find and keep satisfying work."

Phil O’Reilly, CEO, Business NZ

Is my child struggling with literacy or numeracy?

Some early warning signs include:

Very little enthusiasm for reading and writing.
Difficulty spelling, reading or writing.
School reports mention lack of progress in reading, writing, spelling or maths.
Lack of confidence to speak or participate in class.
Negative attitude towards maths or maths teacher.
Doesn’t want to go to school – especially to maths class.

What literacy and numeracy skills does my child needs in the workplace?

Below are examples of how literacy and numeracy skills are used in the workplace:

: Presentation skills are important in many workplaces

Writing

Filling out forms.
Writing emails.
Taking notes.
Typing reports.

Reading

Reading labels and instructions.
Understanding health and safety procedures.
Viewing web pages.
Reading contracts.

Speaking

Participating in team meetings.
Addressing a group.
Answering questions at job interviews.
Giving presentations.

Arithmetic

Counting quantities for a customer.
Using percentages and subtraction to give a discount.
Rounding numbers and estimating when writing a quote .
Using division when calculating costs per head.

Measurement

Measuring an area of warehouse space.
Calculating fuel consumption .

Geometry

Interpreting maps and plans.
Calculating diameters.

Statistics

Understanding tables in reports.
Interpreting graphs.

Other literacy and numeracy requirements

: Many trades require good maths skills

To achieve NCEA Level 1, your child needs 80 credits from Level 1 or higher, with eight being from literacy standard and eight being from the numeracy standard. Literacy skills can be assessed in English or te reo Māori. Numeracy skills can be assessed in maths or pāngarau (Māori immersion maths).

To enter university, your child will need eight credits at Level 2 English or te reo Māori (with four credits in reading and four credits in writing). They'll also need at least 14 credits for Level 1 maths or pāngarau. There are additional requirements as well.

Depending on the job your child chooses, they may require more advanced literacy and numeracy skills.

: Playing word games can improve literacy skills

How can I help my child improve their literacy and numeracy skills?

Make sure your child attends school every day – missing out on lessons can put them further behind.
Find books and reading material that interest them – use the local library.
Read them stories.
Let your children see you reading – it could be a magazine or newspaper.
Get some free private tuition if you struggle with reading.
Encourage your children to practise speaking in front of a group.
Discuss the news, TV shows, movies and issues of the day with your children.
Talk to the maths teacher to help you understand how maths is being taught in schools.
Get your children to practise their maths doing everyday things like calculating the family budget, measuring amounts in a recipe, and calculating distances and speed when doing a road trip.
Play games that use counting skills with your family – for example, Monopoly, bingo or cards.

How can my teen catch up on literacy or numeracy if they have left school?

Bridging or foundation courses

Bridging courses are often held in maths, English and science subjects to help students meet the entry requirements for a degree course.

Many tertiary providers also offer foundation courses so that you can learn essay writing, study and time management skills, or get a feel for a subject area.

Tertiary Education Commission website - intensive literacy and numeracy programmes

Youth training courses

Youth training courses are free and give young people the chance to gain unit standards and work towards a national certificate.

Employes want people with good maths and English skills, so most of the youth training courses can also help students improve in these areas.

Tertiary Education Commission website - youth training courses

Free individual tuition

Literacy Aotearoa provides free tuition to adult learners in reading, writing and maths.
To find out more about their services in your area phone 0800 789 10 or visit their website.

Literacy Aotearoa website - literary services information

What is the Government doing about literacy, language and numeracy?

Here are just some of the government initiatives to improve literacy, language and numeracy in New Zealand:

Schools

Literacy and numeracy project.
Literacy support teachers and literacy leaders.
Literacy and numeracy requirements to pass NCEA Level 1.
Literacy and numeracy requirements to enter university.

Tertiary education

Tertiary education strategy – increasing the literacy and numeracy of the workforce as priority one of four priority outcomes.
Skills strategy – Priority One – Literacy, language and numeracy.
Funding Foundation learning programmes.
Funding workplace literacy schemes such as Workbase.
Embedding literacy and numeracy into industry training and youth training.

Find out more

Other websites