Current Teacher Shortages Might Hinder Rishi Sunak's "Maths-to-18" Plan

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In his inaugural speech of 2023, Rishi Sunak promised to provide "the highest possible standards of education", vowing, among others, to deliver a programme to increase pupils' numerical skills in education. This new policy will aim to adapt the sector so that students will study "some form of maths until they are 18".

The policy was met with a wide range of criticism, particularly by education experts who said the policy ignores major problems within the current education system, including the “severe shortage of Maths teachers” and failure to match teacher salary rises to inflation. On the 16th of February, the National Education Union (NEU) announced that thousands of schools in England and Wales are going to strike in demand for a “fully funded, above-inflation pay rise”. The Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) has also announced that they are working with parent-teacher associations in schools, pledging the pupils’ parents to lobby Conservative MPs to address the “crisis” in teachers’ recruitment and funding. 

The Guardian reported on the variety of comments made by current maths teachers and directors of science in English schools on the lack of availability of qualified maths and science teachers due to the levels of pay. Matt Doble, assistant principal at Preston secondary school in Yeovil, Somerset, addressed the education secretary, Gillian Keegan, directly on Twitter, warning that “all key subjects will be taught by non-specialists in most schools if the current recruitment rates continue”.

In September 2022, the Insightful Research agency reported that the funding cuts and rising costs of living crisis would financially pressure most of the UK state schools, consequently leading to cuts in staff and resources. While the government set the pay rise for teachers from 5% to 8.9% in the 2022-23 academic year, the Teacher Panel of Insightful Research noted that the pay rise was meant to be found from existing school budgets.

The teachers’ strikes will take place on the 1st, 14th and 28th of February, as well as the 1st, 2nd, 15th and 16th of March.