In a shocking new revelation, Rishi Sunak is set to announce plans for Maths to be compulsory up until the age of 18! This comes as a brand new proposal from the Government has been unveiled, in which pupils would study Maths in some form, up until the age of 18, through Core Maths qualifications, T-levels and, as Mr Sunak himself, has said, “more innovative options”. The proposal from the Prime Minister doesn’t come without reasoning, as recent Government figures show that around eight million adults in England have the mathematical skill of a primary school aged child, whilst three in five disadvantaged pupils do not have the expected basic numeracy skills necessary at 16 years old. But what could this all mean for the next generation?

Well, the proposal seems to suggest that studying Maths post-16, would be compulsory, but would impact more on some subjects than others, where core mathematics skills are key. These subjects could include: Physics, Chemistry and Economics.

This announcement is surely going to meet a large array of disapproval from current students who do not wish to study Maths further, and especially those who are not looking to go into a career involving Maths at all. However, students may just have to accept the Government’s decision and grow their knowledge of numeracy in order for England to be put on a par with most other OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) countries such as: Australia, Canada, Norway and the United States.

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College leaders, has spoken on the Prime Minister’s announcement, “It may improve employability and the ability to cope with modern life, as the Prime Minister suggests, but it is important that this is based on solid research and is not a pet project. We would also want to hear how such a policy would avoid exacerbating the already-chronic national shortage of maths teachers.”

The point that Barton makes on the shortage of Maths teachers is definitely one that the Government must address if they wish to follow through with their proposal. Figures show that only 65% of the target number of Maths teachers was made in 2019/20, 84% in 2020/21, 90% for 2021/22 and 90% in 2022/2023. Surely the current Government must address the current issues at hand, regarding the shortage of teachers, before completing their proposal?

More details will be made public in due course and it’s worth bearing in mind that the Conservative Party must retain power in the next General Election in order to have the opportunity to make good on this latest pledge. The question is, how much backing is the electorate willing to give?