The PDC’s Bullseye Maths, in association with Vanquis, showed its support for 2025 National Numeracy Day with a special session featuring Nathan Aspinall and his daughter Milly.
Bullseye Maths was introduced in 2022 to link darts and numeracy in a fun and interactive way, featuring an online portal at the PDC website – which includes the interactive Mathlete game and downloadable worksheets – alongside in-school sessions.
The PDC’s aim is to engage children and adults in numeracy in a different ways, alongside introducing the sport to a new generation.
Vanquis, the UK’s largest specialist bank for financially underserved customers, is also a proud supporter of National Numeracy and Wednesday’s National Numeracy Day on – the UK’s only campaign dedicated to improving everyday maths skills.
Wednesday morning saw Premier League star Aspinall join his daughter Milly and her Year 2 colleagues at Glossop’s Hadfield Infant School for a special Bullseye Maths session.
Aspinall – who will compete in Thursday’s Premier League night at the Utilita Arena in Sheffield where he is bidding to secure a place in next week’s Play-Offs at The O2 – led pupils in darts-based exercises and helped with maths-based activities during the sessions.
“Darts and maths do coincide so much so to have a bit of fun whilst doing maths makes the kids want to learn a bit more,” said Aspinall, a former trainee accountant before becoming a professional darts player.
“The kids that were here today, everything that they’re learning throughout these next few years will all go towards being a bit more savvy with money in the future.
“At school, all I was good at was maths and that’s helped me. If you flip it round, hopefully darts can help the kids with maths.”
Hadfield Infant School deputy headteacher Mrs Kidd said: “It’s great to get maths outside of the classroom – a perfect opportunity.
“It’s been very exciting – such fun to have such amazing visitors in to celebrate National Numeracy Day. The whole school and whole community are behind Nathan.
“The children have enjoyed every minute. They’ve had maths in action – they’ve been doing the two-times table, three-times table, doubling, adding and subtracting – and it’s really meaningful to them.”
This year’s National Numeracy Day theme, Money, aligns closely with Vanquis’ purpose and new research from National Numeracy reveals that 32% of UK adults want to improve their numeracy to better manage their finances, with even higher demand among parents of young children and students.
Vanquis is dedicated to addressing this gap by supporting numeracy initiatives that empower individuals to improve their money management skills and take control of their financial futures.
“Today’s National Numeracy Day event highlights the crucial role numeracy plays in everyday life and its importance in helping people of all generations manage money, plan for the future, and feel empowered,” said Rob Lawson, Vanquis’ Head of Sustainability.
“At Vanquis, we’re proud to support Bullseye Maths through our partnership with the PDC. By blending the thrill of darts with the power of maths, we want to make learning enjoyable and accessible.
“We are committed to improving numeracy to equip individuals with the skills and confidence to take control of their finances and pave the way for a more secure future.”
To see further details about National Numeracy Day, visit the National Numeracy website.
National Numeracy ambassador Rachel Riley experienced a Bullseye Maths session at Alexandra Palace during the 2024/25 World Darts Championship.
The world’s top-two ranked players, Luke Humphries and Luke Littler, featured in a special Bullseye Maths session to support National Numeracy Day 2024 last May, alongside pupils from Invicta Primary School in London.
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Images: Mark Robinson/PDC
About Bullseye Maths
Bullseye Maths, in association with Vanquis, was launched in 2022 and also features an online portal which includes the interactive Mathlete game and downloadable worksheets alongside videos from top darts stars. Bullseye Maths received a Bronze award at the 2023 Sports Business Awards in the “Best Sports Community or CSR Scheme – Other Sports” category.
