Policy UK: The State of Mathematics in the UK - Ensuring Skills for the Future, Quality of Teaching and Compulsory Maths to 18

Policy-UK is holding a seminar to follow the review into the viability of compulsory mathematics study for all pupils up to 18. Professor Sir Adrian Smith will provide delegates with recommendations of his review into the feasibility of compulsory 16-18 maths to assess what the nature of this type of study will be and how it will be delivered. The forum will also explore ideas on how to ensure the implementation of post-16 mathematics won’t deter young people from staying on at sixth form or college, how such an endeavour would be funded, as well as international lessons from countries already delivering similar schemes.

As part of this seminar, Will Hornby, Maths and Technical Subject Specialist, OCR, will deliver a presentation to explore reasons why the UK’s lagging behind in PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) and OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) tables and what can be learnt from international examples. His presentation will also discuss how effective current mathematics provision is and whether it is fit for purpose in terms of preparing the next generation of working and what impact is the new GCSE having.

Read about the Mathematics needs of Higher Education and The Cambridge view on Mathematics, which can be found on the Insights section of our website. Visit Cambridge Mathematics  for more research and practice news.