Universities urged to open maths free schools

Top universities in England can now apply to open specialist 16-19 maths schools to help more young people learn from the best mathematicians in the country.

Two maths schools – King’s College London and Exeter Mathematics School – are already achieving outstanding results. In 2017 98 per cent of King’s mathematics students achieved an A or A* in A level mathematics, for Exeter this was 75 per cent.

Ofsted has also singled out both schools for recruiting students from disadvantaged backgrounds who had not previously had the opportunity to fulfil their potential in mathematics.

To spread that excellence across the country, the government wants top universities to establish more of these specialist schools.

It is providing £350,000 dedicated funding each year to existing and future schools to support outreach work with local schools and colleges, sharing their specialist skills, helping to raise standards and get more children studying maths.

School Standards Minister Nick Gibb said: We want more students to study maths as it can open up a wide range of options for future study, training and work.

“Thanks to government reforms and the hard work of teachers 1.9 million more pupils are in good or outstanding schools than in 2010. We have also introduced a more rigorous maths curriculum and now have record numbers studying maths at A level.

“The success of existing maths schools shows the value of tapping into the expertise of our world-class universities. We now want more institutions to follow the lead of King’s and Exeter and help our most talented students, regardless of background and gender.”