The Curriculum and Assessment Review Final Report ‘Building a world-class curriculum for all’ published today, has made a series of recommendations to government about the study of maths (among other subjects) in the English national curriculum, 16-19 pathways, and their assessment.
National Numeracy responds:
- We welcome the Review’s emphasis on the importance of all learners achieving the fundamental building blocks of maths and understanding its real-world value.
- We cautiously welcome the recommendation for a Level 1 modular ‘stepped’ maths qualification that enables learners to build up and ‘bank’ progress over time.
- We hope this new approach does not reinforce the inequality we currently see, disproportionally affecting some learners, such as those from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds.
- We agree there is a need to ‘shift the focus from failure to progress, helping to build confidence’ among learners, particularly those with low prior attainment. That’s why our work focuses on confidence with numbers and maths.
- We welcome the focus on financial literacy within the Citizenship recommendations, with a focus on how to manage, spend and save money. Good numeracy is a key building block for financial literacy, itself a key route to improving social mobility by empowering people to take control of their money and financial choices.
- National Numeracy has working for 13 years with many partners to support millions of people to thrive by using numeracy to open up opportunities and access brighter futures, targeting communities where the need is greatest. All our resources for children and adults are free and inclusive.
Sam Sims, CEO of National Numeracy said: “National Numeracy has been calling for a stepping-stone qualification that genuinely enables learners to show what they know and can do for years, so we welcome the Review recognition of the need for a stepping stone in maths education.
“Too many young people have been stuck in the demoralising cycle of repeated maths GCSE resits, which can seriously knock confidence and motivation. The right alternative could make a real difference and, as ever the devil is in the detail, so we're looking forward to finding out more.
“It’s vital that any new qualification truly supports learners to build skills and confidence, while avoiding the risk of creating a two-tier system and further embedding the inequalities inherent in the current system.”
Photo: Max Fischer, Pexels
