Letter: Poor figures

Sir: The attitude Diana Appleyard reveals in her article "Give me an inch and I'll make it a mile" (12 June) indicates some of the reasons why our children are not succeeding at maths in schools.

If she had written "I presume that at some time in my schooling I was taught how to read, but now wouldn't know how to start," everyone would be horrified, but the inability to "multiply and add up fractions" seems to be regarded as amusing. She even says, "Unfortunately , woolly maths brains seem to run in our family." What rubbish! She is actually talking not about maths but about numeracy, a basic and essential tool in life, which can lead to maths in the same way as basic reading can lead to an understanding of literature, with similar rewards.

I suggest that she immediately goes to her local further education college, where she will certainly find a course that can help her, and help her to help her children before they are given these prejudices too.