The future of maths education in the UK is facing a deepening
crisis as a result of long-standing teacher shortages and
declining retention rates, a GCSE maths qualification structure
that fails 30 per cent of students, and a decline in funding for
adult numeracy education despite over half of UK adults having
only low numeracy skills.
Following an evidence session with leading maths education
advocates, including
teacher-TV presenter Bobby
Seagull, the Lords Science and Technology Committee has written
to the
Education Secretary,
Rt Hon MP,
setting out its deep concerns for
the future of mathematics
education in the UK.
The Committee heard that the current GCSE examination system
routinely fails 30 per cent of students who are unable to obtain
Grade 4 in GCSE maths even after resits, leaving them with
nothing to show for their mathematics education.
Witnesses argued that the rigid
focus on obtaining a Grade 4 at GCSE disadvantages many students.
The Committee supported their argument for the
creation of a widely recognised,
criterion-based, functional mathematics qualification, that would
allow students who don't pass GCSE maths to demonstrate their
numeracy skills.
The Committee are concerned that the
UK has missed targets to recruit specialist maths teachers for over a decade, despite
generous bursaries.
It heard that policies to expand
access to CPD, to extend flexibility to teachers who wish to work
part-time, to recruit from a wider pool of graduates and
post-graduates, and to support training programmes for other
subject teachers to become mathematics specialists could help
address the apparent crisis in mathematics teaching
and asks the
Minister what measures the Government
will take to resolve these problems in recruitment and retention.
The Committee further asks what consideration has been given to
reforming the maths education system in light of the growing use
of AI, citing recent reports from the Royal Society's
Mathematical Futures and Maths Horizons
programmes.
The Committee highlight that adult
numeracy levels in the UK are concerningly low, with over half of
the adult population having only low numeracy skills,
yet the UK will not have a
flagship adult numeracy scheme after the conclusion of the
Multiply programme. The Committee asks what
plans have been made to fund
adult numeracy and a numeracy skills programme following the
conclusion of Multiply, building on the lessons learned from that
programme, and calls for a national campaign to raise awareness
and engagement with adult numeracy
schemes.
The Committee asks the Secretary of State to respond to its
concerns and supporting evidence by 30 June 2025.
Read the letter in full
