All pupils to study maths to 18

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has announced that all pupils in England will keep learning maths up to the age of 18.

Estimates show that around 8 million adults in England have the numeracy skills of primary school children. Currently, only around half of 16- to 19-year-olds study maths at all. The problem is significant for disadvantaged pupils, 60% of whom do not have basic maths skills at age 16. The Prime Minister will commit to taking action to reverse these trends by introducing maths to all pupils in England at the age of 18.

The government’s focus on literacy since 2010, including phonics, has led to improvements in standards. In 2012, 58% of 6-year-olds were able to read words fluently. By 2019, the figure was 82%. Sunak believes that their renewed focus on numeracy will aim to match this achievement.

The future of jobs

The UK remains one of the only countries in the world not to require students to study some form of maths up to the age of 18. This includes the majority of OECD countries, including Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Finland, Japan, Norway, and the USA.

It is believed that teaching maths to 18 will equip young people with the quantitative and statistical skills that they will need for the jobs of today and the future. With all the advancements in technology and data science, the skill set required for the workplace over the coming years will be different than the current one.

In a world where data is everywhere and statistics underpin every job, the jobs of the future will need more analytical skills than before.

Jobs with a maths core at their heart, such as data science, programming, artificial intelligence (AI), and coding, are in demand and are an attractive option for young people entering the workplace.

Maths qualifications

The government does not envisage making maths A-Level compulsory. Further detail is to be set out, but the government is exploring existing routes, such as the Core Maths qualifications and T-Levels, as well as more innovative options.

Maths teacher shortage

Education experts welcomed the move but also reacted to the plans with caution, saying that maths teacher shortages must be tackled. Labour and the teaching unions say delivering the plan will be hampered by a shortage of maths teachers. One in six teachers in England leave the profession after just a year, and teachers in England may join strike action later this month.

Changes in education

The intention to ensure pupils study maths until age 18 is nothing new. It has been advocated by former education secretary Michael Gove in 2011, the Lords Science and Technology Select Committee in 2012 and then education minister Liz Truss in 2014.

The government acknowledges the plan would not be possible to implement before the next general election, although the prime minister is expected to begin working on the plan in this parliament.

The ambition is the PM’s first major intervention in education since entering office. The change reflects his mission to ensure that school leavers have skills in numeracy and literacy.

At the Autumn Statement, the government announced that it will invest an additional £2bn in schools next year and £2bn the year after, taking school funding to its highest-ever level. However, no extra funding was given to further education colleges, which teach many of the most disadvantaged 16- to 18-year-olds, or to sixth-form colleges.