Over half of school parents don't know their times tables

A new survey has revealed that 52 per cent of parents and guardians of school aged children (under 18) in the UK don't know all of their times tables perfectly.

The survey by YouGov, on behalf of educational app Edplus, also found that the easiest times table to recall perfectly was the two times table, with 76 per cent being able to do so.

The hardest was the eight times table, with only 59 per cent of British population being able to recall it perfectly.

The age group who knew their times tables the best, was the group aged 55 and over, with 60 per cent of respondents being able to recall all of their times tables perfectly.

The age group who knew their times tables the least well were those aged between 25 and 34. Only 38 per cent said they were able to recall their times tables perfectly.

Only 36 per cent of parents of school aged children in London said they could recall their times tables perfectly compared to 50 per cent in the Midlands.

Oxford University mathematician, and co-founder of Edplus, Professor Francis Brown said: "Parental assistance at home can be a really important factor in helping children improve their numeracy, particularly in an area such as multiplication. The results from this survey show that many parents may lack confidence and knowledge to help their children. We know that children with maths-anxious parents are more likely to struggle with the subject themselves."

Edplus has created a new educational app that parents can now download to make out of school learning easier. It uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to ask questions. Every answer each child gives is stored and the software intelligently adapts its approach for each child to optimise their progress. At the same time the app uses gamification to engage and motivate children.

The company, an Oxford University spinout, has made the times tables element of its app free. Released last week it has gone straight to the top of the download charts for new educational apps in the UK (Google Play Store).

Toby Staveley, CEO of Edplus said: "The parents who have been most interested in our solution are also in the same age group (25 to 34) that this survey shows know their times tables the least. We're confident that by making out of school learning both fun and effective we can help not just their children, but all children."