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The UK needs to overhaul its maths curriculum to prepare young people for the growing needs of computing and data, according to the Royal Society, adding the country was at risk of being left in the “slow lane”.
In a study released on Tuesday, the institution called for far wider uptake of mathematics in the school curriculum, including “general quantitative literacy” for non-specialists to cope with misinformation, artificial intelligence and statistics.
Sir Adrian Smith, Royal Society president, called the UK a “really peculiar outlier” among educational systems around the world in allowing students to drop mathematics at the age of 16 as part of its extreme specialisation of subjects during the final two years.
“If we are late, we’ll be in the slow lane,” he said, calling for the government to incorporate and expand on its recommendations in its review of the curriculum. “This is a moment for quick progress and transformation,” he added
The report from the UK’s foremost scientific body follows consultations with experts and employers and reflects growing concerns over mathematics teaching.
GCSE results released last month show that maths papers graded 4 or above have fallen to 59.5 per cent, down from 61.1 per cent last year, sparking debate over how results could be improved.
The report, called “A new approach to mathematical and data education”, said half of UK adults have the numeracy expected of an 11-year-old, and almost a quarter of 15-year-olds fail to achieve basic mathematical operations such as carrying out a currency conversion.
It warned: “Mathematical and data literacy has become fundamental for daily life, but too many of our citizens have poor numeracy and too few are trained to the high levels of mathematical and data competence that will be needed in the future.”
It noted that “data illiteracy . . . risks excluding millions of people from the national conversation and from an increasing number of better-paid jobs”, and warned that a lack of quantitative literacy represented “a potential modern-day threat to democracy and prospects for national renewal”.
The report highlighted other countries that have progressed further in re-examining and broadening maths in schools, including New Zealand, Singapore, Germany and Sweden, as well as regions including California and Ontario.
It called for computational tools and technologies such as spreadsheets, apps and programming platforms to be adopted in courses, and for the government to prioritise hiring qualified new teachers and continuing the professional development of existing ones.
Sir Martin Taylor, chair of the Royal Society advisory committee on mathematics education, stressed that his concern was not “high-level maths research” but the need for “maths for all” to reach a wider group of students.
He criticised the requirement of those who failed GCSE maths exams to re-take them repeatedly as “one of the greatest scandals” that needed addressing, with better efforts to motivate relevant learning and provide more useful assessment of skills.
The Department for Education said: “Proficiency with numbers is a key skill in life, which is why we’re committed to ensuring all children are able to build a strong foundation in maths.
“We have launched the Curriculum and Assessment Review, which will include ages 16-18, and aims to ensure that all pupils build an excellent foundation in maths and the essential knowledge and skills that will enable them to thrive.”
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