Prime Minister sets out 'maths to 18' ambition

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will set out his new ambition of ensuring that all school pupils in England study some form of maths to the age of 18.

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.

Recognising the practical challenges involved, the PM will commit to starting the work of introducing maths to 18 in this Parliament and finishing it in the next.

The Prime Minister is expected to say in a speech today: "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.”

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.