In his budget the Chancellor George Osborne announced that he has asked Sir Adrian Smith, Chair, Council for the Mathematical Sciences, to review the case for how to improve the study of mathematics from 16 to 18, to ensure the future workforce is skilled and competitive, including looking at the case and feasibility of all students continuing to study Mathematics to 18, in the longer term. The review will report during 2016.
The flow of trained mathematical scientists into other disciplines and the industries of the future is critical to the UK’s economic growth prospects, as whole sectors of the economy are transformed by new mathematical technologies underpinned by the mathematical sciences.
It is crucial to provide the appropriate learning environment where school students are given the opportunity to appreciate the ubiquity of the mathematical sciences and their central role in engineering, science and technology. Mathematical literacy cannot be understated and it is to the continued benefit of our technological society that the flow of suitably trained mathematicians continues.
Sir Adrian Smith, commented, ‘I am delighted to have been asked by HMT and DfE to review this important issue’.