Rishi Sunak is expected to soon unveil plans that will make it compulsory for all pupils in England to study maths up until the age of 18.
It’s believed to be part of the Prime Minister‘s “new mission”.
According to UK government figures, it’s thought that around eight million adults in England have the numeracy skills of primary school aged children, and 60% of disadvantaged pupils nationwide do not have basic maths skills at 16.
But the Prime Minister is expected to set out a pledge to address this in his first speech of the year today and explain why he wants pupils to study some form of maths until 18.
Mr Sunak will apparently make his mission to “reimagine our approach to numeracy” clear in his speech, while enforcing his belief that “letting our children out into the world without those skills is letting our children down.”
He is expected to say in his speech today: “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-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.”
New Year is a time for optimism, but I know there’s also a lot of apprehension.
I am working night and day to change that, and quickly.
A spokesperson for Number 10 said details of the Prime Minister’s “new mission” will be announced “in due course”, but that the government did not “envisage” making maths A-Level compulsory, and is instead exploring the right route for these plans.
These include the Core Maths qualifications, T-levels, and other “more innovative options”.
During the speech, Mr Sunak is expected to acknowledge that “reform on this scale won’t be easy”, and this will likely mean that the policy will not come into force until the next parliament.
Downing Street said pupils studying maths until 18 would put England on a par with most other OECD countries – including Australia, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Japan, Norway, and the US – although, these initial plans haven’t been met well by opposition parties, with Labour saying the whole thing would be “an empty pledge” if they could not recruit more maths teachers.
Rishi Sunak to make it his ‘mission’ that all pupils in England study maths until 18 / Credit: Jeswin Thomas (via Unsplash)
Labour’s shadow education secretary Bridget Phillipson criticised the plan and Mr Sunak, saying: “He cannot deliver this reheated, empty pledge without more maths teachers.
“Yet the government has missed their target for new maths teachers year after year, with existing teachers leaving in their droves. Now, maths attainment gaps are widening yetRishi Sunak as chancellor said the country had ‘maxed out’ on COVID recovery support for our children.”
Liberal Democrat MP Munira Wilson echoed Labour’s view and said the Prime Minister’s words “mean nothing without the extra funding and staff”
“You don’t need a maths A-level to know it takes more teachers to teach maths to age 18 than to 16,” she added.
Featured Image – Lauren Hurley / Number 10 Downing Street (via Flickr)
News
Urgent appeal issued following serious road traffic collision involving motorcyclist on M60
Emily Sergeant
An urgent appeal has been issued following a serious road traffic collision on the M60.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) are appealing for information and dash-cam footage, as well as urging witnesses to come forward, after a motorcyclist suffered life-threatening injuries during a collision on the M60 this past Saturday (12 July).
Shortly after 1:40pm, police were called a report of a collision involving a motorbike on the anti-clockwise side of the motorway, between junctions 25 and 24.
When patrols responded and arrived on the scene, they found a man in his 50s – believed to be the motorcyclist – with life-threatening injuries, and was subsequently taken to hospital for treatment in an air ambulance, with his family being informed in the process.
An urgent appeal has been issued following a serious road traffic collision involving motorcyclist on the M60 / Credit: Wikimedia Commons
The M60 was closed in one direction, between Bredbury and Denton, following the crash from around 2:30pm onwards, and all traffic was diverted while investigations were ongoing.
GMP’s Serious Collision Investigation Unit is in the process of conducting enquiries, and at this time, it isn’t believed that any other vehicle was involved in this incident.
This is why police are appealing for anyone who may have witnessed the collision, or who has dash-cam footage, to get in on contact.
Police have also thanked the members of the public who stopped by the roadside to give the man initial first aid before emergency services arrived.
Police issue update on Oasis arrests and fence-jumpers
Daisy Jackson
Greater Manchester Police have shared an update on the arrests made at the opening two nights of Oasis Live ’25.
More than 100,000 people have flocked up to Heaton Park on Friday and Saturday evening for the first two of five Oasis reunion shows.
And largely, things have gone without a hitch, with only 15 arrests made so far.
The majority of these are arrests on suspicion of fraud, with five men and a woman in three separate incidents attempting to access the Oasis gig with fake accreditation.
Another man was arrests on suspicion of assaulting a member of security staff.
Two more men were arrested on suspicion of assault – a section 18 inside the Oasis gig at Heaton Park, and another for a section 47 outside.
Police have also said that ‘a number of people’ have attempted to access the gigs without tickets, with a perimeter gate breached on Saturday night, but ‘failed to do so’.
Five drones which breached airspace restrictions were seized on Friday.
A Section 34 Dispersal Order, which gives officers the power to direct individuals to leave a specified area and not return for 48 hours, has been in place for each night of the Oasis concerts so far.
This will be re-assessed before each concert this week, with the Gallagher brothers back at Heaton Park on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday.
GMP around Manchester ahead of the Oasis reunion shows. Credit: GMP
Assistant Chief Constable Matt Boyle said: “We have been planning for these events for several months, working with partners and the organisers to make sure everyone can enjoy the concerts safely. To that end, I’m pleased to say that the first two Oasis homecoming events have been a success.
“What has been especially pleasing is how more than 100,000 people have enjoyed these iconic events safely and without trouble.
“We will have a highly visible presence in and around Heaton Park, and across the city, to ensure the next three events continue to pass safely.
“A number of people without tickets attempted to gain entry through a perimeter gate on Saturday night but failed to do so.
Credit: The Manc GroupCredit: Tiktok benwalkerofficialPolice say ‘just 15’ arrests made at Oasis so far
“We continue to support the event organisers and the local authority with their plans preventing any unauthorised access to the arena site.
“While arrests have thankfully been minimal, we have had to take some suspects to custody, including one after an alleged assault on a steward on Saturday night. We will not tolerate any abuse of anyone doing their job.
“On Friday night we also dealt with a number of breaches of airspace restrictions involving drones where our officers seized five drones and spoke to two other pilots.
“We continue to have airspace restrictions in place on the nights of the concerts and anyone found breaching the one-and-a-half-mile restriction zone could face prosecution.”
Emily Sergeant -
4th January 2023 
