Stop plans to make maths compulsory until 18

Please don't make maths education compulsory until 18!

It is currently compulsory until GCSE level at 16 and that is more than enough for many. A lot of people already struggle with this level and are glad to take an exam and never have to study it again.

Maths is a source of great anxiety to large numbers of students. Considering the high levels of stress, anxiety and mental health issues in teens, does it make sense to add another source of stress? If I was at secondary school now and heard I might be made to continue maths until 18, I would be terribly distressed.

I am a middle-aged mother of a 20 year old and a 7 year old, but I can still 'feel' the stress I felt at trying to remember the information needed for the top band paper for my maths GCSE. I was so stressed that I elected to do the lower paper so that I could be certain of getting the necessary C on that paper and wouldn't have to retake it. I was so relieved when I opened my results and saw that C that I had to have my As pointed out to me: all I cared about was that I'd never have to study maths again!

And I wasn't bad at maths. I quite enjoy using maths in daily life and, home educating my 7 year old, maths is a favourite subject.

Currently around a third of students fail to gain a standard pass at GCSE: https://inews.co.uk/news/education/maths-18-unfeasible-teacher-shortages-2064616
Why torture students who don't succeed at maths by making them study further? That will do nothing other than disengage them from a learning environment where they could actually shine at something else.

GCSE maths already provides a higher level of maths education than many people will ever use in their jobs or every day life. Post 16 education should be a time when students are able to move towards their chosen career paths: those who want or need to continue with maths are already able to do so.

When the government decreed that everyone had to stay in education until 18, they failed to take responsibility for ensuring good local provision with the effect that most schools don't have sixth forms. Instead they have handed provision for 16-18 education to businesses whose amalgamation of groups of colleges in neighbouring towns, and subsequent cost cutting, has left limited choices in students' home towns, and demoralised educators, who only get paid for teaching hours so skimp on additional help or pastoral care. Many post-16 students have to travel by train or bus to neighbouring towns and cities for even standard A-level subjects. They should fix this first.

Where are they suddenly going to find all the competent additional maths teachers that will be needed to teach at a higher level than GCSE? The government has been failing to recruit enough maths teachers for years as it is!

A move to make maths compulsory until 18 is unnecessary and ill thought out.