Compulsory Maths till you’re 18.

I wasn't great at school but my one good subject was English. Maths lessons were awful. I managed the basics (and later went on to be a book keeper) but if I had been forced to do Maths until I was 18 it would have been horrendous for me. Why do people who are good at a subject think that anyone can grasp it?

I didn't "get"Maths at school and no length of time would have altered that. At 83 I still don't get it
On the other hand I got A Level English Literature and Grammar. If you can't do Maths no amount of compulsion will make you.

Just another Tory diversion from the real, immediate problems of the UK like ambulance waiting times, lack of social care, A&E crisis, etc. They fiddle about while we all burn.

Totally ridiculous to force people to study this against their will. You can marry at 16, but must study maths? Crazy

personally dont see the point, you either "get it" and can do it, or you cant. No amount of teaching will change the way your brain works.
Basic cookery lessons, basic first aid, and possibly budgeting lessons will be more use to your future than a subject that will cause pupils unneeded stress and anxiety.

Hope he doesn’t ask me 🤣

Why do people who are good at a subject think that anyone can grasp it?

Because it needs to be taught in a way which makes it interesting.

Some people can be extremely knowledgeable about a subject but be poor at communicating in a way which makes that subject understandable and enjoyable to those less interested or able.

Beechnut

Hope he doesn’t ask me 🤣

Ah, but I bet she knows because she learn that at primary school!!
I expect she knows her times tables too 😁

I think he means arithmetic and basic bookkeeping rather than maths. If that’s the case then yes I agree. Everybody needs to understand how to manage their money as well as everyday stuff like measuring for curtains, carpet etc. we need simple maths in everything we do.

I can only assume Kwasi Kwatang finished maths age 8

FannyCornforth

Or perhaps we could bring back National Service; but instead of it being in the military, it would be NHS based

You’d still need to understand basic maths or how would you interpret medicine doses, temperatures, blood pressures. Numbers are everywhere.

I hated Maths at school. I knew my tables and how to do basic stuff like long division, fractions, decimals etc . At age 13 five of us went to the Head to ask to drop Maths and do Greek instead. She agreed. We were very happy - I had an aptitude and love of languages - Maths was of absolutely no interest to me as long as I could do the basics. I studied French German Latin and Greek as well as English of course- also out of school, I studied Italian and Russian. I left school at 17 with 3 language A levels. We all went on to have a good career - a Headmistress, a Doctor, a managing director, a Fellow of Girton, and an author. This was before the strictures of the National curriculum and in the 50’s quite enlightened. I was very grateful to that Head.

Anybody on here explaining that English was of no interest or use to them so they dropped it was soon as they could? That reading has been no use to them as they were able to just master the basics and so that's all they needed?

No? Thought not.

Not being able to grasp maths is not a badge of honour.

(People with dyscalculia and dyslexia excluded from this, or course)

If this is to help with people's understanding of finances and economics (as stated by Sunak) then it won't help.
I better solution would be a subject which provides an introduction to the essential skills that an adult needs which are not included in the current curriculum. Such subjects could include how finance works and debt, how to budget, economics, the law, politics, environmental sustainability, first aid, setting up home and basic childcare. There are probably others which would prepare children for the post-Thatcher world better than extending maths to 18. These could be taught in the same class from third year of secondary school as a subject per term.

Simply stop interfering, let the professionals do their job and pay them a fair wage. The Government blame the teachers but it is they who tell teachers what to teach.
Some people are maths oriented, some are English, art or sports and it's no use flogging a dead horse to change that. My father and brother were excellent at maths and would spend a considerable amount of time explaining a maths problem and at the end would ask if I got it. Quite simply no, it wasn’t the teaching, it was me, addition, subtraction, multiplication, division fine but fractions and beyond just become a jumble of figures and within seconds of being told on how to solve them, it has gone like trying to hold smoke in your hand. Yet, other subjects were fine.

Maybe they should concentrate on getting it right during their pre-16 education! My grandaughter brought her exercise books home from Primary School when she left it. We couldn't understand how a child so proficient could start getting so anxious about Maths. When we saw her exercise book, we realised what the problem was. The teacher was marking stuff wrong which was actually right. This went on throughout the exercise book and so when our grandaughter kept saying that she couldn't understand what she was doing wrong so couldn't put it right, we were flummoxed!
That said, I don't see a problem building upon the the skills learned from school. I don't think everyone is suited to Maths A level.

This will get me banned, maybe...

It wasn't beyond you, you just weren't trying hard enough because you aren't interested enough.

Or you have dyscalculia.

This is why I'm not a teacher. 😜

volver

This will get me banned, maybe...

It wasn't beyond you, you just weren't trying hard enough because you aren't interested enough.

Or you have dyscalculia.

This is why I'm not a teacher. 😜

Or, as I said, the teacher was a poor communicator.

It's not as interesting as, for example, poetry or Shakespeare. 😀
Or Latin

But then, my friend, who was an excellent Maths teacher, loathed English Lit.

I think everybody needs to have basic maths and english skills but why isn't the concentration on ensuring students have these skills before they reach age 18? Lots of students leave school before that age. What about those who stay on for A-levels in arts subjects, why should they spend valuable time studying more maths when they and their teachers would otherwise be able to spend that time on their exam subjects?

I'm loving this thread. It's the best read
I never understood why I needed maths to get into Art college.
I'll bet Art O level wasn't necessary for university.

I struggle with knitting patterns which are maths. Knitting is all about counting and measuring but with manual skill and spacial awareness thrown in.

Maths is in just about everything in life actually.
My DGS is taking Latin Higher. He likes it.

Yes, if you haven't been taught and absorbed enough to build on by the age of 16, I don't think most ever will.

In the meantime, strikes, the NHS problems etc have been solved.

jessycake

I can only assume Kwasi Kwatang finished maths age 8

Kwasi K worked as a financial analyst. He has an exceptional academic record.
Not too sure how to argue this one!

Wouldn't it be more useful to teach critical thinking? Some basic philosophy and to encourage more pursuits in creative arts and/or music? Sunak seems to want people to become automatons. We need thinkers and creatives.
But if anything is to be compulsory I think it should be use of English. How often on social media do we come across those who - while, seemingly otherwise quite reasonable - can't tell the difference between its and it's, or your/you're and even confidently yet ignorantly write 'should of' instead of should have.

HannahLoisLuke

I think he means arithmetic and basic bookkeeping rather than maths. If that’s the case then yes I agree. Everybody needs to understand how to manage their money as well as everyday stuff like measuring for curtains, carpet etc. we need simple maths in everything we do.

Yes, this is how I interpret what he said. Maths at the appropriate level, not necessarily A'Level type of maths.

One of the huge issues we have currently in the country is debt, and uncontrollable debt most of the time. It is causing massive issues, social, mental, fiscal, etc, etc issues which not only impact the 'victims', but all around them, their partners and families- and thus society at large as it has to pick up the pieces in 100s of ways. Understanding basic arithmetic including debt, is paramount.

Its/it's is sometimes due to an unnoticed autocorrect.