Rishi Sunak ‘will’ announce plans for all pupils in England to study maths up to the age of 18 to tackle innumeracy and better equip them for the modern workplace as he sets out his priorities for the year ahead, The Guardian confirms.
Rishi Sunak has already announced proposals for a new ‘baccalaureate’, replacing A-levels, during the Conservative leadership contest, which would see students continue with compulsory English and maths until 18, but sit fewer exams at 16.
Meanwhile, Sunak’s decision to pre-brief an education announcement, rather than focusing on the state of the NHS this winter – with overcrowded A&E departments and long waits for a hospital bed, patients being treated in corridors, and 30-hour waits in ambulances outside hospitals – may be met with surprise.
Under Sunak’s plans, maths to 18 would be provided through different routes, rather than just A-levels.
He was expected to say: ‘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,’ he said.
He will add: ‘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, our children’s jobs will require more analytical skills than ever before.
The policy would only apply to pupils in England, as education is a devolved issue.
Labour criticised the ’empty pledge’, with the shadow education secretary, Bridget Phillipson, saying: ‘The prime minister needs to show his working.
‘He cannot deliver this reheated, empty pledge without more maths teachers, yet the government has missed their target for new maths teachers year after year, with existing teachers leaving in their droves.
‘Now, maths attainment gaps are widening yet Rishi Sunak as chancellor said the country had ‘maxed out’ on Covid recovery support for our children.
Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, called on the government to set out the evidence for extending maths for all students to the age of 18 before embarking upon a significant change affecting future generations, adding: ‘It is important that this is based on solid research and is not a pet project.’
