London, Dec 3 (IANS): Primary schools in Britain will ban the use of calculators by 11-year-old students in a bid to prevent the kids from becoming maths dunces, according to the government.

Schools minister Nick Gibb insisted the crackdown was vital to better the students' maths skills.

"They shouldn't be reaching for a gadget every time they need to do a simple sum. Children can become too dependent on calculators," he was quoted as saying by The Sun.

The move will see a "shake-up" of the maths examination faced by all 11-year-olds. A section that tests students on the use of calculators will be "axed".

Gibb said calculators were partly to blame for one in five primary students failing to reach the expected level in maths in 2011.

"Without a solid grounding in arithmetic and early maths in primary school, children go on to struggle with basic maths skills throughout their school careers."

"It also means they leave school without the knowledge to complete everyday tasks in their adult lives," he said.

Recent government figures say around 17 million adults have maths skills "no better than" children as young as nine.