红桃影视

Prime minister Rishi Sunak has outlined vague plans for all pupils to study maths until the age of 18. But can he honour an ambitious promise that Labour calls 鈥渁 reheated pledge鈥�?

Schools Week takes a closer look鈥�

What鈥檚 being proposed?

Rishi Sunak鈥檚 鈥渁mbition鈥� is for all school pupils to study 鈥渟ome form of maths鈥� until the age of 18.

He 鈥渄oes not envisage鈥� making maths A-level compulsory, instead 鈥渆xploring existing routes鈥� 鈥� such as core maths and T-levels 鈥� or 鈥渕ore innovative鈥� choices.

This would make numeracy a 鈥渃entral objective of our education system鈥�, giving people the ability to do their jobs better and 鈥済et paid more鈥�, he said.

But that was it for details.

The prime minister also only committed to starting work to introduce the policy in this parliament, meaning any reform would not be achieved until 2025 at the earliest.

With the Conservatives tanking in the polls, it will likely be down to a new government to decide whether to implement the policy.

How many pupils will it affect?

The government said only about half of 16 to 19-year-olds studied any maths, warning the problem was 鈥減articularly acute for disadvantaged pupils鈥�.

It鈥檚 not clear how this has been worked out, and whether it includes other A-level subjects in which maths is a key component.

Ofqual data shows that about 580,000 16-year-olds in England took GCSE maths last year, with just shy of 90,000 entries this summer to A-level maths 鈥� the most popular A-level subject. Another 15,000 took further maths and 12,000 sat core maths.

Meanwhile, roughly 145,000 pupils who don鈥檛 get a grade 4 or above at GCSE continue to study the subject post-16 until they pass.

How could the policy work?

The vagueness of the announcement gives the government huge flexibility on what it could look like in practice.

Jonathan Simons, the head of education practice at Public First, said: 鈥淎t one end, this could mean an enrichment club.

“It could be a qualification like general studies where you have to sit an exam but no one counts it, or it could mean having to pass a qualification that counts in league tables.鈥� He suggested 2030 as a feasible date for such reforms.

Sir Adrian Smith, the author of a into the feasibility of maths to 18, said it should be part of a 鈥渨ider reform鈥� to post-16. He wants a baccalaureate style system that will give a broader education than A-levels.

During his first leadership bid, Sunak pledged to introduce a 鈥淏ritish baccalaureate鈥� that would involve compulsory maths and English to age 18.

In a statement this week, Smith said such 鈥渞adical鈥� changes would not be easy and would take time. 鈥淲e need to get started now and build a cross-party approach with support from teachers, students, parents and employers.鈥�

Labour did not respond to a request for comment on whether it supported baccalaureate reforms.

What are the barriers to compulsory maths?

We鈥檝e been here before. In 2011, a report for the Conservative party by Carol Vorderman, the mathematician and TV presenter, recommended all pupils should study maths to 18.

Michael Gove, the education secretary, said at the time he would like the “vast majority” of pupils to do so within a decade. But it never came to pass.

Smith鈥檚 2017 report concluded there was a 鈥渟trong case for higher uptake of 16-18 mathematics鈥� and that the government should 鈥渟et an ambition for 16-18 mathematics to become universal in 10 years鈥�.

But the lack of maths teachers is a huge problem. The Smith report admitted teacher supply challenges were significant and that it was clear when there would be enough specialist staff for universal maths to become 鈥渁 realistic proposition鈥�.

The government has missed its recruitment target for maths teachers every year since at least 2012. A National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) study last year found nearly half of secondary schools already used non-specialists for some maths lessons.

In 2020, 8.3 per cent of maths specialists left teaching, the second highest attrition rate of any subject.

Bridget Phillipson, the shadow education secretary, said the prime minister needed to show his working. 鈥淗e cannot deliver this reheated, empty pledge without more maths teachers.鈥�

Jack Worth, the NFER鈥檚 school workforce lead, said it was not clear how the government intended to meet current targets, 鈥渓et alone how the additional teachers required would be attracted into the profession and retained鈥�.

Schools Week understands the issue is being viewed by policymakers as part of a bigger workforce problem that will get wider focus.

Do we already have a suitable qualification?

In 2014, Nick Gibb, the schools minister, announced new core qualifications for pupils with at least a C in GCSE maths to continue to study the subject without taking a full A-level.

It focuses on using maths skills in business and personal life 鈥� for instance understanding investments and mortgage loans.

Gibb said the ambition was that by 2020, the 鈥済reat majority of young people will continue to study maths to age 18鈥�. While take-up has risen quickly, just 12,000 pupils sat core maths last year 鈥� way below Gibb鈥檚 promise.

Core maths is available in just 30 per cent of schools and colleges that offer A-level maths, according to Mathematics Education Innovation, leaving 鈥渓arge numbers of young people鈥� who cannot access it.

Tom Richmond, a policy expert and ex-DfE adviser, said lower levels of per-pupil funding in post-16 meant there was no money left 鈥渟o schools and colleges often can鈥檛 afford the 鈥榥ice to have鈥� stuff. So what was government expecting to happen?鈥�

Another sticking point is that an A in core maths attracts just 20 UCAS points when applying for university, less than half of an A-level value.

In January last year, the Royal Society and British Academy issued a rallying call to make sure 鈥渢he potential of core maths is realised鈥�. They demanded additional funding for schools to provide the qualification, with universities encouraged to incentivise take-up.

But Catherine Sezen, the education director at the Association of Colleges, said a 鈥渢horough鈥� review of maths from age 14 was needed, given the 鈥渦nhelpful cliff-edge nature鈥� for those 鈥渇orced to resit their exams鈥�.

Can tech provide a solution?

The government funds the advanced maths support programme to help schools and colleges expand their post-16 maths curriculum, with more than 3,000 schools taking part since its launch in 2018.

The Smith review found there was potential for massive open online courses (MOOCs), but cited an earlier government study that said such courses had 鈥渉igh rates of failure鈥� and were 鈥渓ikely to remain viable options only for motivated pupils鈥�.

Simons said a certified MOOC could be an option. He said it was 鈥渆ntirely possible鈥� that the Oak National Academy quango could commission such courses that students would have to complete before 18.

Exam boards back technology, too. Sharon Hague, the managing director of Pearson鈥檚 school qualification division, said that utilising technology to deliver new curriculum content, digital resource innovation, and developing flexible assessment approaches, could support the proposed policy.

But for others, it misses the point. Professor Becky Francis, the chief executive of the Education Endowment Foundation, said a better focus would be supporting 鈥渕ore young people 鈥� particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds to achieve a good grounding in maths by the age of 16鈥�.