Yes.
That’s the short answer.
But as my regular contacts and readers will be aware, I am not exactly famous for brevity, so here’s the real (slightly longer) answer.
It depends.
Also true, but not a lot better.
‘Depends on what?‘ is of course the real question. In this post I have set out four considerations that I believe will make Rishi Sunak’s latest proposal of compulsory mathematics for all succeed or fail.
1. Clarity about Why
In his excellent book ‘Start With the Why‘, Simon Sinek explains that first being crystal clear about the reasons for doing something is what makes ventures succeed or fail. In this case, if we are clear about why we want to do this, we are more likely to create something that is sustainable and impactful. This is not for those who have chosen to study maths at A-level, but to help those who have not; it is a question of equity. Even those who opt for vocational courses need mathematics; it’s not hard to imagine a builder, plumber or electrician making a mathematical error which could result in serious consequences.
2. Clarity about Staffing
There are not enough maths teachers in the UK. A recent estimate suggests that as many as 45% of maths lessons for 11-16 year olds are taught by non-specialists. Increasing the number of pupils studying the subject will therefore inevitably put a further squeeze on the system. Yet even current Government recruitment targets are not being met, despite being lowered in real terms. So if this plan is to succeed, it MUST include a very detailed breakdown of a) how many extra hours will be required, b) who will deliver them, and c) where the funding/recruitment for this will come from.
3. Clarity about Content
This is crucial. The vast majority of young people who have not chosen to study maths at A-level will have little interest in learning about calculus, geometric progressions, standard deviations, etc. And given that we would be very unlikely to recruit socialists to deliver this, we need something that is rather more prescriptive and fully resourced than we are currently using in the majority of our schools.
I’m being a pragmatist here. While I have never been an advocate of a ‘colour by numbers’ approach in mainstream maths teacher, I do think that any school-based 16+ programme will need to be very largely prescriptive, so that non-specialists feel equipped to deliver it.
In other words, significant resources will need to be put into lesson design, materials and CPD for it to stand a chance.
What they will benefit from most is a curriculum that starts from the sort of problems they will face in their adult lives such as measures, statistics, probability, travel, budgeting, and so on. Developing this sort of practical problem-solving is one of the key aims of Maths Week England, the world’s largest national maths festival which shares the Government’s vision of a nation of confident and competent mathematicians.
Importantly, there already exists something that would form an excellent basis for this- Core Maths. This would need editing, if it were to be compulsory along the lines the Prime Minister is suggesting, but its central idea is to show students the relevance of mathematics by starting from real problems faced by adults in their everyday lives. In my view, this is the only way such a programme can work.
4. Clarity about Implementation
Politicians are quick to share big ideas, but often without sufficient detail. And it’s in the detail that a plan of this magnitude stands or falls. So apart from all of the above, other key questions that need answering will be:
What are the timescales?
What training will be offered to teachers?
How will this be funded?
How will the in-school curriculum differ from the curricula of vocational training providers?
What accreditation systems will be in place?
So, a bit longer than my first answer, but let’s hope that this is more than merely words from the Prime Minister.
Time, as ever, will reveal all.
APPENDIX: Here is the relevant section of the Prime Minister’s speech in full:
We also need greater social justice. And the way we achieve that – is education. This is personal for me. Every opportunity I’ve had in life began with the education I was so fortunate to receive. And it’s the single most important reason why I came into politics: to give every child the highest possible standard of education.
Thanks to the reforms we’ve introduced since 2010, and the hard work of so many excellent teachers, we’ve made incredible progress. But with the right plan – the right commitment to excellence – I cannot see any reason why we can’t rival the best education systems in the world.
To do that, yes – we’ll need to fix the damage of Covid, especially for our youngest pupils. And yes – it’ll require more investment, which is why just weeks ago in the Autumn Statement we provided £2bn of extra funding for schools. But that’s not the limit of our ambitions. We’re not content with just catching up.
First, we need to support good teaching and spread best practice with a plan to improve attainment in primary schools. Next, we need to stop seeing education as something that ends aged 18 – or that sees university as the only option. With more technical education, lifelong learning, and apprenticeships.
And one of the biggest changes in mindset we need in education today is to reimagine our approach to numeracy.
As Chancellor, I introduced Multiply, a new programme to give hundreds of thousands of adults the opportunity to get the basic numerical skills they need. But we’re one of the few countries not to require our children to study some form of maths up to the age of 18.
Right now, just half of all 16–19-year-olds study any maths at all. Yet in a world where data is everywhere and statistics underpin every job, letting our children out into that world without those skills, is letting our children down.
So we need to go further. I am now making numeracy a central objective of the education system.
That doesn’t have to mean compulsory A level in maths for everyone. But we will work with the sector to move towards all children studying some form of maths to 18. Just imagine what greater numeracy will unlock for people:
The skills to feel confident with your finances, to find the best mortgage deal or savings rate; the ability to do your job better and get paid more; and greater self-confidence to navigate a changing world.
Improving education is the closest thing to a silver bullet there is. It is the best economic policy, the best social policy, the best moral policy. And that’s why it’s this government’s policy.