Tuesday 11 April 2023
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 & Skills Survey 2010
CBI Education and Skills Survey 2011
CBI Education and Skills Survey 2011
National Skills Audit 2010UK 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
ScienceTechnologyEngineering
Mathematics
TechnologyEngineering
Mathematics
EngineeringMathematics
Mathematics
First year Chemists at the University of York
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, 1996-2009
0
10,000
20,000
30,000
40,000
50,000
60,000
70,000
2014201320122011201020092008200720062005200420032002200120001999199819971996
A L
evel
En
trie
s
Maths (16-18)
A level maths
Increases in A Level entries, 2005-2009
STEM A Level Entries
% increase in entries, 2005 to 2009
-10%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
Maths
Econom
ics
Religious S
tudies
Media/F
ilm/ T
V S
tudies
Law
Art and D
esign
Sociology
Chem
istry
English
History
Physical E
ducation
Psychology
Physics
Biology
Business S
tudies
French
Geography
Design and T
echnology
All subjects
STEM A levels: 2008-2010
36
0
10,000
20,000
30,000
40,000
50,000
Male Female
Nu
mb
er o
f p
up
ils
that
to
ok
A l
evel
Mat
hs
2005 2009
A larger increase in females entering A level maths than males
9,800 more male pupils in 2009. This is
a 34% increase on 2005
8,700 more female pupils in 2009. This is
a 50% increase on 2005
37
Greater increases in sixth form colleges and maintained sixth
forms
45%49%
39%35%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
Maintainedsixth form
Sixth FormCollege
FE College IndependentSchool
Key Stage 5 School Type
Inc
rea
se
in A
lev
el m
ath
s e
ntr
ies
20
05
to
20
09
A Level Maths
STEM higher education: 1999-2008
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
Numbers of Mathematics and Mathematics related qualifications completed by 16-18 year olds in 2009/10
142,937
184,277
SCHOOLS
FE
Numbers of Numeracy qualifications completed by 16-18 years olds in 2009/10
1,029
161,933
SCHOOLS
FE
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’