All children will have to study maths until they're 18, says government

4 January 2023, 11:02 | Updated: 4 January 2023, 11:29

Children will have to learn maths until they are 18 under new plans. Picture: Getty Images

By Naomi Bartram

Prime minister Rishi Sunak is looking at plans to ensure all pupils in England study maths until the age of 18-years-old.

School children could be made to study maths until they are 18-years-old under new government plans.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will lay out the changes today (Wednesday 4th January) in an attempt to combat ‘innumeracy’ in England.

The former Chancellor is expected to tell the country: "This is personal for me. Every opportunity I've had in life began with the education I was so fortunate to receive.

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"And it's the single most important reason why I came into politics: to give every child the highest possible standard of education.

Rishi Sunak is looking to extend maths for kids. Picture: Alamy

"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."

"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 to 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".

Children could have to study maths until they are 18-years-old. Picture: Getty Images

The UK is currently one of the only countries in the world that doesn’t require kids to study maths in some form until they leave education.

According to the government website, around 8 million adults in England have the numeracy skills of primary school children.

Government officials aren't intending to make maths A-level compulsory for all 16-year-olds and will explore other Core Maths qualifications and T-Levels.

General secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders Geoff Barton has warned the PM to think about “how such a policy would avoid exacerbating the already-chronic national shortage of maths teachers.”