As part of the 25th anniversary celebrations of the Jack Petchey Foundation, we’re highlighting exceptional stories of those from our programmes. This month, meet Charlie. He participated in the Count On Us Maths Challenge, and is now a Mayor’s Fund for London Youth Board Member. Charlies shares his experience!

Charlie’s Story

Before Charlie became a Youth Board Member for the Mayor’s Fund for London (MFL), where he represents the voices of his peers and informs the charity of the support they can provide, he participated in the Jack Petchey Foundation Count on Us Secondary Maths Challenge as a Year 8 pupil.

Count On Us Secondary Maths Challenge

In partnership with the Mayor’s Fund for London since 2016, the Jack Petchey Foundation delivered the Count on Us Secondary Maths Challenge, an exciting pan-London programme for secondary schools. The programme engages students in Years 7 to 9 with maths games designed to challenge and inspire. Competing in Count on Us increases students’ confidence in numeracy and helps them develop a sense of belonging and ambition that can help them thrive in future employment. Charlie is a strong example of this. During his time participating in Count on Us, Charlie competed in the competition’s heats and his school club.

“I joined the MFL Youth Board because some of my best years in secondary were around the Count On Us Maths Challenge” – Charlie

After Count on Us, Charlie was inspired looked for further opportunities to build his confidence. He found it through the Mayor’s Fund for London’s employability and skills programme, Access Aspiration, which serves to springboard young Londoners to explore careers they previously thought were unattainable. This led to him joining the Youth Board, after which Charlie came back to assist with the running of Count on Us.

Charlie, now 20 years old, reflects on a practice event he helped facilitate:

“It was great being at the Count On Us practice event, assisting the team with scoring and talking to the pupils. A highlight was watching everyone run around in the Algebra round at the end. After taking part in Count On Us as a student I’ve really enjoyed coming back and being involved in it as a member of the Mayor’s Fund for London’s Youth Board.”

He is currently studying Maths and Statistics at Queen Mary’s University, whilst also tutoring maths students. At the start of 2024, Charlie’s aim was to speak at that year’s Count on Us Final, so he worked with MFL’s Youth Engagement Officer to further build his confidence in achieving this. His aim was accomplished when he took to the City Hall stage to welcome schools and open that year’s final.

In his speech, he spoke about his experiences and demonstrated firsthand how his confidence has grown.

“Speaking at the Count on Us final has made me super proud, as it was one of my initial goals to speak at this final once joining the Youth Board. The Mayor’s Fund for London and the Jack Petchey foundation Count on Us Secondary Maths Challenge made me realise back then that maths could be fun and exciting. I’d even go as far and say that without the competition, I would’ve given up maths and explored something else.”

If you are a young person who is inspired by Charlie’s story and wish to build your confidence in numeracy, pass this article on to your teacher so they can register for this year’s Jack Petchey Foundation Count on Us Secondary Maths Challenge.

Teachers can contact Chris Olley at the Maths Zone or register by visiting this link.

If you have a history with the Jack Petchey Foundation you would like to share with everyone, get in touch at pr@jackpetchey.org.uk.

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