Maths education in England is at a critical inflection point.
Anecdotally, there used to be a sense that maths was not cool, popular or valued, with even well-educated people happy to admit their innumeracy in public. But that seems to be changing, and we are now seeing record numbers of students taking A-level maths.
There are still challenges, however. We see some students arriving from primary schools more numerate than ever, and others with greater educational debt and gaps in their foundational knowledge. Despite this, for all students maths is increasingly regarded as essential by both parents and employers, and it seems to have almost the same gravitas as reading and literacy.
Maths: high value, high stakes
But with high value comes high stakes, and across the sector this means pressure on teachers and leaders to make the right curriculum decisions. That’s against a backdrop of a retention and recruitment crisis and an increase in non-specialist teachers delivering maths lessons.
There is pressure, too, on students, particularly girls, with anecdotal evidence that maths anxiety is on the increase. This may be having a material impact on girls’ achievement. The Education Policy Institute’s 2024 annual report noted a reduction in gender gaps for key stage 4 outcomes that was largely explained by a fall in girls’ attainment.
And despite the ascendency of the A level, there are challenges with the other mathematical qualifications on offer: take-up for core maths is low and schools find it hard to staff expertly; functional skills is simply not accessible or practical enough to provide a point of difference from the GCSE; and the national 18 per cent pass rate for students resitting GCSE maths points to a need for an alternative approach.
Reform of the qualifications available to students at key stages 4 and 5, particularly for those who struggle with the current GCSEs or A levels, could provide opportunities for students to stay engaged in mathematics for longer and take more vocational courses.
Our trust has developed careers materials with Pinewood Studios, for example, to help our KS3 students see the real-world relevance of maths in potential future careers. We have invited speakers from marketing and operations businesses to talk to students about the jobs and employment options in maths, alongside professionals in finance, data and analytics, and cybersecurity companies.
Keeping high-attaining students engaged is also a challenge, in part due to the overlapping structure of the KS2 and KS3 national curriculum and the transition to secondary school.
As we look forward, maths education is on the brink of curriculum reform, with technological advances and ever-improving professional development, which offers a tantalising glimpse of what we can achieve together. There is an exciting vision for maths educators in the UK but there are barriers we will need to overcome in order to realise it.
Juliet Doyle is national lead for maths (secondary) in Lift Schools
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