Two groups of Wolverhampton schoolkids swapped textbooks for treble 20s this week, as the Grand Slam of Darts once again played host to a special Bullseye Maths takeover. The popular PDC numeracy project – run in partnership with Vanquis – is all about showing youngsters that numbers don’t have to be boring… especially when darts is involved.
This year’s Grand Slam offered pupils from two nearby primary schools the chance to try their hand at the sport and sharpen their mental arithmetic at WC Active Aldersley. And they weren’t just learning from worksheets – they were learning from the pros.
Northern Ireland World Cup winning captain Josh Rock spent the day with SS Peter and Paul Catholic Primary Academy, while fellow Grand Slam competitor Connor Scutt teamed up with pupils from Northwood Park Primary School.
Rock, who was a walking advert for the value of quick sums under pressure, was instantly on board with the idea.
“I’ve really enjoyed it,” he said. “I use maths every day playing darts, and at a young age going through school it was the best thing for my maths.
“I believe for a lot of young kids that they can enjoy playing darts and also enjoy playing maths.
“My maths improved massively when I started throwing darts. At my school we never got anything like Bullseye Maths so it’s great to see the kids getting opportunities like this.”
The sessions were led by the JDC Education Team with support from the Wolves Foundation, giving the pupils a mix of games, challenges, and even a scored leg of darts with the professionals cheering them on.
Scutt – who openly admits he wasn’t exactly Pythagoras in his younger days – loved seeing the kids dive in.
“It was great to be part of the Bullseye Maths session and to see how the children got involved with the different darts activities,” said the 29-year-old.
“When I was young I found maths extremely difficult, but darts has really helped me and it’s always been a passion of mine. Darts helped me to pass my maths exam at school and it makes maths fun.
“Darts helped me with my simpler maths and I found I was able to do a lot of my adding up without a calculator. I enjoy maths and I hope we can help more children to do the same through Bullseye Maths.”
Teachers were just as impressed as the pros. Northwood Park’s Senior Lead and Maths Lead, Mrs Asghar, praised the programme’s impact both academically and emotionally.
“We were absolutely blown away by the dedication and commitment of Bullseye Maths team,” she said. “Not only did the children leave feeling an immense sense of pride in their ability to play darts, but their self-confidence in applying their number skills also improved.
“Overall, it was a unique workshop… Northwood Park Primary is very grateful for the opportunity and can not wait to attend future events!”
Year 5 pupil Ivy B may have summed it up best:
“I went to Bullseye Maths with my school, and at first, I was a little nervous but once we started playing darts, I was so happy!
“I had such a fun and exciting time… and we met Connor Scutt, a real professional!
“I really enjoyed my time at Bullseye Maths and didn’t expect it to be so much fun!”
With S4C, Vanquis, and the Wolves Foundation helping bolster its reach, Bullseye Maths continues to grow – and the initiative is proving once again that darts isn’t just entertainment… it’s education wrapped in flights and tungsten.
—–ENDS—–
Images: Kieran Cleeves/PDC
