Data is everywhere and for everyone, but are we equipping our young people with the skills they need to extract meaning from vast datasets? Whilst data drives everything from the world’s economy, climate modelling, transport planning, predicting disease outbreaks through to individuals using fitness apps, watching recommendations from streaming services and GPS navigation, we still live in a society where there is poor statistical understanding amongst the public. Perhaps more concerning is the anxiety that many people exhibit when encountering statistics. Is our current school curriculum providing students with the correct skills to turn this around?
In 2024 two reports were produced setting out recommendations for the statistics curriculum in schools. The report from the Royal Statistical Society, “Key recommendations for the statistics curriculum in the UK”, suggested teaching mathematics and statistics as separate disciplines at secondary school level or putting a greater emphasis on the problem-solving cycle in the current mathematics GCSE. The Royal Society report, “A new approach to mathematical and data education”, recommended a mathematical and data education framework with a general literacy strand based on developing the existing Core Mathematics qualifications. Both of these reports emphasize the need to embed data literacy skills throughout many school subjects and the need for long-term investment in professional development for teachers. Whilst the aspirations in these reports equate to a marathon and not a sprint, there is plenty that we can all do to prepare for the race ahead.
In this talk we will explore some aspects of statistical anxiety and how we can combat this in our teaching, statistical communication and outreach. I will highlight how statistics is used daily and in many school subjects without students realising and we will consider our role in shaping a future curriculum and what this could look like.
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