AIBU to think Rishi Sunak is sadistic and unreasonable to want all pupils to study maths up to 18?

[Boysgrownbutstillathome]

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-64158179

I wasn't schooled in UK so I don't see why it's an issue tbh. We had maths and other basic subjects (languages, geography etc) going all the way till end of high school at 18 or 19 (end age dependa on qualifications like nvq vs a-level type).

I am actually surprised everyone ends it so early here

But people don’t say this in countries where it does continue to 18

@ElephantInTheKitchen Thank you for explaining

What we really need is anyone going into politics to have to prove their maths abilities.

Question 1) what happens when the population increases due to an ageing population and NHS funding (in real terms) is reduced?

Question 2) how many extra deaths will occur because 1/3 of ambulances are waiting outside A&E?

Question 3) how many extra maths lessons will be needed to teach everyone to 18 and how are you going to deliver them?

Question 4) what % of the population thinks Squirrel when they hear yet another headline trying to distract us from the Toryshambles?

Unless a student doesn’t get a 5 in their Maths GCSE, then students shouldn’t have to continue to do Maths at college. Students should be able to do whichever A Levels or other courses they want after they’ve left secondary school.

I think it's a great idea actually. Maths is important. I'd be happy if my son had to study it for a further 2 years.

It's already compulsory for pupils to keep trying to get their GCSE until they are 18. Having only a cursory interest in state education, the Tories and their voters are unlikely to know this.

Not unreasonable, just cannot be achieved without enough teachers, and should not be at the expense of younger pupils learning.

sadistic 😁

It's a distraction technique.

The NHS has been wrecked by the tories. Education has been wrecked by the tories. There's a huge teacher shortage and not enough maths teachers for this. The country is losing 40 billion a year due to brexit. www.itv.com/news/2022-12-20/brexit-costs-government-40-billion-a-year-in-lost-tax-revenue

This is a distraction technique.

We wouldn't have enough teachers to accommodate this at our school. Our teaching loads have been increased already due to redundancies etc last year. Am pretty certain any teacher will tell you this . It's laughable without the staffing for it.

Labour voters aren’t the best at numbers given how many voted Tory v how many use private though so maybe it is a good idea after all.

I think it’s an appalling idea. I don’t have a head for maths and preferred to study things I was interested in. English, history etc. forcing me to keep doing maths would have detracted my efforts from my other subjects and given an overall shit performance.

I agree with everything that has been said re if teaching to 16 is inadequate then what is two extra years going to do.

The one point that I would add is that I understand maths is a bit of a 'use it or lose it' skill. Cambridge used to not allow students to take a gap year before studying maths. That certainly matches my experience - straight A student at school, including maths (but maths was definitely something that came less naturally). I did a degree in humanities and now I am shocked and a little embarrassed by the extent to which I have forgotten basic arithmetic - percentages etc. TBH it doesn't impact my daily life often though (and of course when it does, I'm able to work around it). It cannot be compared to illiteracy at all IMO.

It also, in the current economic climate, seems another way of turning blame onto the people rather than the government and its policies. NHS is struggling because people have unhealthy lifestyles. People don't understand maths and finance and that's why they can't pay their bills.

This is probably the first thing in forever that I agree with him on. I wish I'd studied it for longer and I hope my children will have to.

I don't know the details yet, but I can't imagine for a minute he will be insisting that every 16yr old sits A-levels maths, that would clearly be ridiculous. But if he's proposing all children have 1-2 lessons a week in practical maths post 16, (a bit like PE), calculating interest rates, tax, running a household budget etc, I think it's an excellent idea.

Great idea, if the maths is practical rather than theoretical, but where are they going to find the extra teaching staff?

😂😂😂 who on earth is going to be teaching this. Because we don't have enough maths teachers now.

@MarshaBradyo
Good to see the regular Tory bot has joined the discussion. Not sure your comment makes any sense though, it certainly doesn't relate to my comment in any way.

He should try teaching a 17 Yr old who didn't pass maths at school, sat the re-sits twice and hates the subject and all teachers 🤣🤣 how would Mr.Sunak go about forcing that child to continue with maths until they are 18?! And to what end if all he wants to do is bricklaying?
Would love to be a fly on the wall in that classroom!
We already have Functional Skills which any child moving onto an Apprenticeship needs to achieve and it is hard enough to get some kids to engage with FS maths let alone 'pure' maths.

As has been mentioned already, if that maths is going to be learning about compound interest, budgeting, interest rates, mortgages, avoiding debt and so on, then that’s an excellent idea. Staying on until 18 to learn pure maths and stats…no. That would have been torture for someone like me who detested maths and had very little ability for it and therefore struggled relentlessly and felt like an absolute failure that it never really clicked!

No, they should let children leave school at 16 if they want to.

Good to see all Labour loyals have is to call people bots.

Not very intelligent as per but if it’s all you’ve got.

That is precisely what FE colleges are being forced to do - many have abandoned functional skills as well.

This.

The problem isn’t when we stop learning maths, it’s the curriculum. Far far too little mental maths at state schools (lots at private schools btw).

Adding an extra 2 yrs to the state curriculum will be advanced maths like calculus, that’s what they do in America. When what children really need is 20-30 min a day revising mental maths like addition and subtraction.

Anyway it’s just a headline grabbing distraction to get the collapse of the NHS off the front page.