Nuffield Curriculum Centre

Maths issues

Making Maths Count

www.mathsinquiry.org.uk

The report from the Adrian Smith Inquiry into post-14 maths education is now available from the Inquiry's web site.

The report pleads that maths is in many ways 'special'.

In a positive sense maths is special according to the report because it is:

• the universal abstract language that underpins the sciences, technology and engineering, and it is
  
• fundamentally important both for the workplace and the individual citizen.

In a negative sense, maths is special because it is:

• viewed as difficult and boring by parents and students,
  
• thought to be too challenging both in terms of the work involved and the difficulty of getting good grades, and
  
• seriously affected in schools by the shortage of well-qualified teachers.

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