NCETM Director says all post-16 providers should consider offering Core Maths

A new blog post from the NCETM’s Director, backed up by a case study from a school in Yorkshire, argues the case for more schools and colleges to teach Core Maths, the qualification first examined in 2016, and now steadily gaining popularity across England.

• In his blog post, Charlie Stripp notes that, in England, compared with other developed countries, an unusually low proportion of students study maths beyond GCSE. He says this is partly because A/AS level maths isn’t suitable for all. But he says Core Maths is now an attractive alternative for anyone getting a Grade 4+ at GCSE, because it supports study in other subjects and later employment. He concludes by saying that ‘there is a real opportunity to bring about a steep increase in participation in maths education to the age of 18.’
• The case study, written by Colin Prestwich, head of maths at a Yorkshire comprehensive, tells the story of how Core Maths entries by sixth-formers have doubled in three years. Colin also describes broader benefits to maths pedagogy across maths teaching in all year groups, and his aim that all maths teachers at the school will soon be teaching Core Maths.

Extra funding is available for schools and colleges with increased numbers studying maths beyond GCSE, and there is extensive support available for them to establish Core Maths through the Advanced Maths Support Programme (AMSP).