Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s proposal to introduce compulsory maths up to the age of 18 is a step in the right direction and one that is significantly overdue. In many countries, including France, Germany, America and Japan, it is already compulsory to study maths until 18.
Far too many young people in this country leave education without the necessary maths skills. This limits their potential and leads to an attainment gap — as proven by research showing 17mn adults in England have the numeracy skills of primary school children.
As society becomes increasingly digital and data driven, having a working knowledge of maths is a critical skill as many jobs are now underpinned by technology, statistics, and data. Poor numeracy skills are holding people back from having the confidence to get on in life and into work. However, while welcome, this initiative must be accompanied by a commitment to improving financial literacy skills in schools at the same time. Maths and maths alone will not help young people become financially confident.
Currently, financial education is not on the statutory curriculum in English primary schools, despite studies showing children’s mindset around money habits are set by the age seven.
At Young Enterprise, we work with young people and their educators to help them learn how to earn and manage their money and equip them with key employability skills. Through our programmes, we teach skills such as budgeting, saving and digital literacy. These skills are particularly important against the backdrop of the cost of living crisis.
We need to ensure that young people are equipped with the skills required to manage their finances for the long run. Making maths compulsory until 18 is a great start, but in order to upskill the future workforce we need to empower them to be financially confident.
Simon Lewis
Chairman of Young Enterprise
London WC1, UK
