Prime Minister Rishi Sunak used his first speech of 2023 to outline an ambition to get all pupils in England to study maths in some form until the age of 18.

This is nothing new. In 2011, the then Education Secretary Michael Gove floated a similar idea.

While it is important to equip young people with important skills for the future, such as maths, there are wider problems in the education system that need to be addressed. There is a lack of maths teachers. In fact, the teaching profession at large has seen an exodus due to poor pay and difficult working conditions.

Schools are struggling to deliver the curriculum as it is with budgets squeezed to breaking point. Add to that the fact that the education system at large is playing catch up due to Covid disruption.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak during his first major domestic speech of 2023 at Plexal, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in east London. PIC: PA

The PM extolled the virtues of maths by talking up the opportunities that are available to people with numerical skills, saying “in a world where data is everywhere and statistics underpin every job, our children’s jobs will require more analytical skills than ever before”.

But there also needs to be an acknowledgement that there are young people who excel in other areas. Imposing maths on them will not be beneficial for those individuals.

The PM highlighted his five key priorities for the year ahead as halving inflation, improving economic growth, a reduction in the national debt, tackling NHS waiting times and stopping migrant boats crossing the English Channel.

The Government has a room full of elephants that it needs to address and as Geoff Barton, the general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, says maths is “a bit of an odd thing to be focusing on” given the crisis in public services.

If the Tories don’t address these issues then the numbers won’t look good for them at the next General Election.

Rhetoric on maths but schools need wider support - The Yorkshire Post says