ONS Launches New Education Resources To Strengthen Statistical Literacy With Navigating Numbers Programme

Students in further education across England and Wales are about to get hands-on experience with real economic data, whilst their teachers get access to new continuing professional development tools that will help them bring statistics to life in the classroom. 

The new resources are part of the Office for National Statistic’s Navigating Numbers programme: a set of education toolkits for students aged 16 years and over, centred around ONS datasets that relate to a part of everyday life. 

James Benford, Director General for Surveys and Economic Statistics at the Office for National Statistics, said:

“Our new Exploring Economics resources will help educators confidently use official statistics and bring data to life in the classroom. The resources also equip students with the skills to analyse and interpret real-world economic data on topics such as employment, prices, trade and economic growth.

“Economic statistics help us understand some of the most important issues affecting people’s lives, from inflation and living standards to jobs and economic growth. Developing the skills to interpret and question this information is important for young people as they prepare for further study, employment and active participation in society.”

The new Exploring Economics toolkit has been developed through collaboration between ONS experts and specialists in Economics, Geography and Business Studies. Linked directly to the curriculum, the resources enable students to engage with official economic statistics and explore how data can be used to understand real-world issues.

The resources include presentation packs, student toolkits and teacher guides for Economics, Geography and Business Studies lessons, making it straightforward for teachers to incorporate official statistics into existing teaching programmes. The materials are designed to fit within available classroom time and can also act as a springboard for independent, enquiry-led student projects.

The new CPD resource is split into modules, so that teachers can use them at their own pace and pick out the most relevant topics. It allows teachers to build confidence in working with real data and turn complex statistics into clear, engaging learning moments, as well as saving on planning time by offering ready-to-use approaches.

The resources are available through the ONS Navigating Numbers programme, with further education activities and learning opportunities planned in 2026 and beyond. 

They build on an existing collection of five free classroom toolkits, developed for Maths, Sociology, Business Studies and Geography teachers, which explore gender pay gap, inflation, census, health and well-being, and business, industry and trade data.

All Navigating Numbers resources are free and designed to fit into the class time teachers have available. They can be used as a starting point for students to create their own enquiry-led project, using the tools and datasets provided, combined with independent research. The wider programme has recently been shortlisted for Educational Programme of the Year – Public Sector at the Wales STEM Awards.