1.1 Literacy and numeracy skills are essential in life. Pupils skilled in literacy and numeracy are more likely to stay in full time education and as adults be more productive and earn higher wages. Literacy and numeracy skills are extremely important for accessing the wider curriculum.
This is because literacy skills are required for everything. If a learner has difficulty with literacy then they will find it difficult to read words and they may also have a problem with writing. They may struggle in all sorts of subjects like Science as they may not be able to read the instructions to do experiments or label diagrams, in Music they may not be able to read the words to sing the songs, in Cooking they may not be able to read the recipe or food labels.
Numeracy is also used throughout the wider curriculum so if a pupil has difficulty within this area it can affect other areas such as Cooking with weighing ingredients, in PE they may find it hard to count if told to do 3 hops then 8 jumps tec. Poor literacy and numeracy skills could also affect the child socially as other children may not want them to join in.
Improving pupil’s literacy and numeracy can have a positive effect on their confidence their ability to deal with everyday tasks as well as their lifelong learning and health. Research shows the links between low literacy and numeracy and crime, poor health choices, low educational attainment and unemployment.