Sunday, 12 October 2014 John Holman Mathematics: the foundation of STEM

Michael Gove at the Royal Society 29 June 2011 We are also committed to the existing programmes that have proven their worth over the past few years. For instance, the performance of the Further Maths Support Programme has been outstanding. The growth in the number taking Further Maths A level is testament to their success.

Outline of my talk 1.The importance of STEM 2.Mathematics in STEM 3.Some policy drivers 4.Post-16 mathematics: a challenge for us all 5.The most important thing to get right

Outline of my talk 1.The importance of STEM 2.Mathematics in STEM 3.Some policy drivers 4.Post-16 mathematics: a challenge for us all 5.The most important thing to get right

Ferranti Mercury computer (1960s)

Moore’s Law Computing power doubles every 18 months

CBI Education and Skills Survey, 2010 Responses from 694 employers

CBI Education & Skills Survey 2010

CBI Education and Skills Survey 2011

National Skills Audit 2010 UK Commission for Employment and Skills predicts growth of highly skilled work importance of increased skill levels for future growth decline in lower skilled jobs especially fast-growing demand for STEM-skilled technicians.

Source: C. Humphries (2006) Skills in a Global Economy, City and Guilds

CBI Education and Skills Survey 2011

Outline of my talk 1.The importance of STEM 2.Mathematics in STEM 3.Some policy drivers 4.Post-16 mathematics: a challenge for us all 5.The most important thing to get right

A Level Maths earns a premium Both graduates and non-graduates who took maths A-level ended up earning on average 10 per cent more than those of similar ability and background who did not. CENTRE FOR ECONOMIC PERFORMANCE 1999

Science Technology Engineering Mathematics

Technology Engineering Mathematics

Engineering Mathematics

Mathematics

First year Chemists at the University of York

About two-thirds of students have AS or A level mathematics

First year Chemists at the University of York First course: Gases and Equilibria handouts

Sources: Mathematical Needs, ACME June 2011

Outline of my talk 1.The importance of STEM 2.Mathematics in STEM 3.Some policy drivers 4.Post-16 mathematics: a challenge for us all 5.The most important thing to get right

Some policy drivers 1.The economy

Some policy drivers 1.The economy 2.International comparisons

Michael Gove at the Royal Society 29 June 2011 In the last decade, we have plummeted down the international league tables: from 4th to 16th place in science; and from 8th to 28th in maths. While other countries – particularly Asian nations - have raced ahead we have, in the words of the OECD’s Director of Education, “stagnated.”

Some policy drivers 1.The economy 2.International comparisons 3.Revision of the national curriculum

Some policy drivers 1.The economy 2.International comparisons 3.Revision of the national curriculum 4.Wolf report on vocational education

Some policy drivers 1.The economy 2.International comparisons 3.Revision of the national curriculum 4.Wolf report on vocational education 5.Post-16 participation

Outline of my talk 1.The importance of STEM 2.Mathematics in STEM 3.Some policy drivers 4.Post-16 mathematics: a challenge for us all 5.The most important thing to get right

33 A Level Mathematics entries, A level mathsA level maths

Increases in A Level entries, STEM A Level Entries

STEM A levels:

36 A larger increase in females entering A level maths than males 9,800 more male pupils in This is a 34% increase on ,700 more female pupils in This is a 50% increase on 2005

37 Greater increases in sixth form colleges and maintained sixth forms A Level Maths

STEM higher education:

Coe, R J, Searle, J, Barmby, P, Jones, K and Higgins, S (2008) Relative difficulty of examinations in different subjects, Curriculum, Evaluation and Management Centre, Durham University

FE achievements in STEM Royal Academy of Engineering FE data project

FE achievements in STEM Of the qualifications achieved in 2008/09:

Section 6

Section 2.5

Section 2.11

But …..

Student participation in mathematics post-16 Table from ACME’s Mathematical Needs: Mathematics in the workplace and in HE report, based on data from the Nuffield Foundation’s Is the UK an Outlier? report.

Student participation in mathematics post-16 Table from ACME’s Mathematical Needs: Mathematics in the workplace and in HE report, based on data from the Nuffield Foundation’s Is the UK an Outlier? report.

Mathematical 17 year olds 660,000 in the cohort 286,000 did A levels 85,000 did AS or A level Maths ACME estimates that 120,000 need to do maths for science and engineering, and 60,000 for social science.

Source: ACME/UCAS

Michael Gove at the Royal Society 29 June 2011 That is why I think we should set a new goal for the education system so that within a decade the vast majority of pupils are studying maths right through to the age of 18.

Post-16 mathematics for all: what does it mean? Do we have the right qualifications available? Do we have enough specialist teachers?

Outline of my talk 1.The importance of STEM 2.Mathematics in STEM 3.Some policy drivers 4.Post-16 mathematics: a challenge for us all 5.The most important thing to get right

How the world’s best-performing school systems come out on top McKinsey, September 2007 ‘Above all, the top performing systems demonstrate that the quality of an education system depends ultimately on the quality of its teachers’