Pledge to make pupils in England study maths until 18 faces backlash
Rishi Sunak’s pledge to make all pupils in England study maths until the age of 18 faces backlash as union warns teachers could strike
- Teachers say maths pledge fails to tackle recruitment crisis gripping the sector
- PM has pledged to make all pupils in England study maths until the age of 18
- Pledge was one of former No 10 adviser Dominic Cummings’ ‘hobby horses’
Teachers are now more likely to strike after backlash to the Prime Minister’s maths pledge to make all pupils in England study maths until the age of 18, a union leader has warned.
Kevin Courtney, who oversees more than 300,000 educators as joint general secretary of the National Education Union (NEU), accused Sunak of a ‘baffling failure’ to notice the obstacles facing the industry.
‘Sunak’s plan is disappointing not only in its lack of realism but its lack of vision’, he said.
More than 500,000 teachers across three unions are considering possible strike action in England and Wales, with deadlines for votes from January 9
‘It overlooks the increasingly detailed and urgent discussions about curriculum reform that have been taking place across the education sector and even within his own party.
‘Most people who voted will have voted. But I think there will be a few people who will look at this and think ‘is that all they’ve got to say about education?’
‘It doesn’t sound like they’re taking the problem of the teacher recruitment crisis seriously because they’ve missed their maths teacher recruitment targets every year for the last 11 years.’
Teachers, who are currently balloting, say the plan fails to tackle the recruitment crisis currently gripping the sector.
More than 500,000 teachers across three unions are considering possible strike action in England and Wales, with deadlines for votes from January 9.
Unions have urged staff to vote as soon as possible amid fears that postal chaos may delay the return of ballots.
Teachers, who are currently balloting, say the plan fails to tackle the recruitment crisis currently gripping the sector
Last night, Rishi Sunak faced backlash over his plan – which was one of Dominic Cummings’s ‘favourite hobby horses’.
In 2011, Mr Cummings persuaded then-Education Secretary Michael Gove to adopt it.
It has now left Westminster observers wondering if its resurgence is further evidence of Cummings’s behind-the-scenes influence on Mr Sunak’s government.
The fallout comes as the sector battles a recruitment crisis that has left schools with no maths experts.
It has become so dire that almost half (45 per cent) of secondary schools rely on non-specialists to teach the subject, according to a recent analysis.
Some struggling teachers are leaving their posts for higher-paying jobs in Aldi and Amazon while others have been forced to use food banks.
Department for Education figures show targets for recruiting maths teachers into Initial Teacher Training (ITT) have not been met for more than a decade.
Just 65 per cent of the maths teacher target was met for the school year 2019/20, rising to 84 per cent for 2020/2021, 90 per cent for 2021/2022 and 90 per cent for 2022/2023.
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