In his first speech of 2023, the Prime Minister will set out his
priorities for the year ahead and ambition for a better future
for Britain.
The PM will commit to taking the necessary action to deliver for
the long term on issues such as low numeracy rates.
As part of this, he will set a new ambition of ensuring that all
school pupils in England study some form of maths to the age of
18.
The Prime Minister is expected to say in a speech today
[Wednesday 4 January]:
“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.
“With the right plan – the right commitment to excellence – I see
no reason why we cannot rival the best education systems in the
world”.
Recognising the practical challenges involved, the PM will
acknowledge that reform on this scale won’t be easy. He will
commit to starting the work of introducing maths to 18 in this
Parliament and finishing it in the next.
Around 8 million adults in England have the numeracy skills of
primary school children. Currently only around half of 16-19 year
olds study any maths at all and the problem is particularly acute
for disadvantaged pupils, 60% of whom do not have basic maths
skills at age 16.
Despite these poor standards, the UK remains one of the only
countries in the world to not to require children 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.
The Prime Minister will commit to take action to reverse these
trends by introducing maths to 18 for all pupils in England. He
will say:
“One of the biggest changes in mindset we need in education today
is to reimagine our approach to numeracy.
“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.
“And letting our children out into the world without those
skills, is letting our children down”.
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. This includes having the right skills to feel
confident with finances in later life, including finding the best
mortgage deal or savings rate.
The government’s focus on literacy since 2010, including phonics,
has led to significant improvements in standards. In 2012, only
58% of 6-year-olds were able to read words fluently. By 2019, the
figure had risen to 82%. Our renewed focus on numeracy will aim
to match this achievement.
The government does not envisage making maths A-Level compulsory
for all 16-year-olds. Further detail will be set out in due
course but the government is exploring existing routes, such as
the Core Maths qualifications and T-Levels, as well as more
innovative options.
The ambition is the PM’s first major intervention on education
since entering office and reflects his mission to ensure that
more children leave school with the right 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.
