Maths has a reputation as being a subject you’re either naturally good at or not. But the world’s top-performing systems start from a different belief – that all pupils can succeed with the right expectations, support and time.
England has made significant progress over the past 30 years. Around 80% of pupils now achieve a standard pass (grade 4) in GCSE Maths by age 19, up from 50% in the 1990s, and A-Level Maths is now the most chosen course.
This is down to the hard work of teachers and school leaders. But their efforts are too often held back by a curriculum and assessment system that undermines mastery, rushing pupils through content before they’ve secured the foundations or built the problem solving skills they need to succeed.
Over the past year, we have carried out a comprehensive independent review of England’s maths curriculum and assessment system in a generation. Our report, entitled How England should reform maths education for the age of AI, has been published today.
Alongside researchers at Public First, we have carried out qualitative and quantitative work with pupils, teachers, parents and employers. We’ve also reviewed international best practice, drawn on the latest evidence, and worked with experts across all phases – from early years to post-16.
What we found is a surprising consensus. The curriculum is overcrowded – especially in KS2 and KS3. Assessment doesn’t always reflect what matters, allowing pupils to pass GCSE without mastering fundamental topics such as decimals, using formulae and correlation. Too few pupils continue with maths after 16. And everyone agrees that every child should leave school confident in maths.
It’s time to aim higher. We believe it is possible for almost all young people to leave education at 19 with a strong foundation in maths, and many more to continue beyond with advanced mathematical study. The goal isn’t to lower the standards expected, but to give every pupil the support they need to clear it.
We need to rebalance expectations across key stages
It starts with the curriculum. We need a true curriculum for mastery, clearly mapped across sub-domains within maths, giving pupils the time to secure knowledge before moving on.
We need to rebalance expectations across key stages, so teachers aren’t forced to reteach what wasn’t properly learned the first time.
And we need to embed reasoning and problem-solving for all pupils – not as extras but as core to the subject.
The assessment system must support this. A standard pass at GCSE can require as little as 14 per cent of the marks, hardly a sign of pupils being confident in maths.
Re-sits too often feel like a dead end, with pupils often taking them repeatedly, term after term, without receiving the necessary teaching to pass them.
And in Year 6, preparation for the arithmetic paper can crowd out deeper mathematical thinking.
That is why we are calling for new low-stakes checks of fundamental knowledge, reforms to SATs that raise expectations and rigorously test mental methods, and a redesigned GCSE that better reflects secure understanding, real-world problem solving, and offers a more constructive re-sit experience post-16.
We also need to end the culture of dropping maths at 16. England is unusual in letting most students stop at this point. A 16-19 maths entitlement, with options like Core Maths and a streamlined Further Maths A-Level, would give more young people the skills they need for life and work.
In the age of AI, strong foundations in maths will only become more important. Yes, we’ll be able to ask powerful systems to solve equations for us. But to know if the answers make sense and to use them wisely, we’ll need deep understanding, mental agility and confidence in our own thinking.
We have a choice: keep patching a system that isn’t working for everyone, or build one that reflects what young people really need to learn and do.
The good news is we know what works. And a better future for maths is within reach. Teachers have led the way on mastery. Now the curriculum and assessment system must catch up.
Read the full report, here
Teachers have been saying for years that the KS2 curriculum is too packed, with pressure to get through everything in Year 6 by the SATs tests in May meaning there’s not enough time to fully master topics. The problem, as always, is nobody listens to the people who actually are dealing with these things on a day to day basis.