Something doesn’t add up. The ambitions articulated by the UK government on leading the world in artificial intelligence are encouraging. But when it comes to ministers’ approach to maths, we hit a serious problem. These aspirations simply won’t come to pass without maths. AI is run by code that is run by algorithms — essentially, maths. Without a powerful mathematics base you won’t be at the forefront of AI innovation or anywhere near it. (View Highlight)
So it is extremely concerning to see maths being squeezed in the education system at the same time the government is bigging up growth in AI. (View Highlight)
At the heart of this problem lies a widespread attitude to maths that is at odds with its role in our world. Too often we take maths for granted — even joking about lacking maths skills. (View Highlight)
I was very lucky at my comprehensive school to have a teacher who understood the power of mathematics as a language to make sense of the universe. When we asked why we were learning about sines or cosines or solving quadratic equations, he was equipped to give meaningful answers. He explained how trigonometry helped us navigate the night sky — a powerful tool for the ancient world to explore space from the comfort of Earth. Quadratic equations, in his classroom, described the trajectory of the footballs we kicked around during break. (View Highlight)
His stories reached beyond the curriculum to help us see the beauty and excitement that pervades maths. But he was only able to answer our naive “why” questions and tell those stories because of his deep knowledge of the subject. You need teachers who understand mathematics intimately to be able to inspire the next generation. (View Highlight)
So it was with utter dismay that I read about the latest manifestation of our national miscalculation — last week’s decision to cut funding for the Advanced Mathematics Support Programme. This scheme was aimed at supporting maths teaching in state schools — including for continuing mathematics to a higher level. It was a key element in supporting the UK’s talent pipeline, which is becoming woefully degraded. (View Highlight)
Research just published by the Campaign for Mathematical Sciences showed that we have a chronic shortage of specialist maths teachers in England’s secondary schools. And while mathematics is now the most popular A-level subject, the proportion of undergraduates studying mathematical sciences is falling. (View Highlight)
Ministers have reversed the previous government’s allocation of £6mn to support setting up an Academy of Mathematical Sciences, a body dedicated to embedding mathematical thinking and processes in industry and policy. (View Highlight)
If you want growth, you have to nurture our maths capabilities. If you want to lead the world in AI, you have to grasp that without maths you’re not going to have the tools for the next big step. (View Highlight)
