In collaboration with NEU, Education and Employers, and the Education Foundation
At Edge, we believe that all young people should leave school with a broad portfolio of skills to prepare them for the world of work. It is good to see the Prime Minister highlighting his desire to “give every child the highest possible standard of education". As part of this, the latest announcement to extend maths education up to the age of 18 is welcome. However, any commitment to continue maths should include contextualised and functional options to make sure it’s relevant to more young people and their future careers. Numeracy is a vital skill for everyone and we have been delighted to support National Numeracy in the past in their efforts to ensure that the maths curriculum provides the numeracy skills required in the workplace.
More broadly, we would want to see education reform go further with braver changes to our curriculum, such as introducing a broader baccalaureate to ensure that students have access to a wider set of subjects and skills up to the age of 18. The skills shortages we are facing are wide-ranging as we highlight in our regular skills shortage bulletins. We need an education system that can match this challenge.
We are also concerned at the lack of detail surrounding this policy. In particular, the Government must urgently clarify how it intends to address the shortage of maths teachers to ensure that this policy can be effectively delivered.