The Prime Minister will set out his plan to ensure all pupils in England study some form of maths until aged 18 in his first speech of 2023.
On Wednesday, Rishi Sunak will lay out his priorities and ambitions for the year ahead, which will include a new mission to combat high rates of innumeracy in England.
The UK remains one of the only countries in the world that does not require children to study some form of maths up to the age of 18.
“Right plan”
The PM will say that with the “right plan”, he sees “no reason” why “we cannot rival the best education systems in the world”.
He is expected to say: “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”.
“More analytical skills”
Sunak is expected to commit to starting the work of introducing maths to 18 in this Parliament and finishing it in the next.
He will put emphasis on the importance of numeracy, stressing “our children’s jobs will require more analytical skills”.
The Prime Minister will say: “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”.
Reaction
But the proposals have been widely criticised on social media.
Here’s a round-up of what people have had to say:
Related: Government brings in disaster response charity to aid drivers stuck in UK queues for Channel
