What's the issue?
Every year, around 250,000 young people obtain at least a GCSE
grade C in mathematics but do not chose to study the subject at AS/
A level. The new Core Maths suite of qualifications is aimed
at these students.
ACME was closely involved in the shifts necessary for these
qualifications to come into place, having long called for such a
qualification as an alternative to AS/ A level study in mathematics
and further mathematics. ACME worked closely with a range of
stakeholders in the mathematics community and beyond to argue that
a new post-16 qualification should sit within a clear, simple suite
of distinctive and well-understood qualifications.
Increasing the numbers of students studying mathematics beyond
GCSE by anything like 250,000 requires a coherent strategy and many
years of investment. Providing
insight into the way this can be achieved has been ACME's
goal.
The qualifications are being taken by around 180 Early Adopter
Schools and were made available to all schools and
colleges from September 2015. The Core Maths Support Programme
(funded by the Department for Education until September 2016) is
working to ensure that the qualifications are a success.
In order for the qualifications to succeed, the importance of
the qualifications needs to be made clear to higher education and
employers. ACME continues to support those involved in implementing
this policy, which includes providing strategic advice and acting
as a knowledge broker for those who seek to promote and develop
Core Maths qualifications. ACME advises that an implementation plan
and roadmap is developed to ensure the success of the
qualifications.
Timeline
July 2010: ACME published
Post-16 in 2016 calling for more options for students to
continue their mathematical education up to 18.
June 2011: ACME published Mathematical Needs:
Mathematics in the workplace and in Higher Education estimating
that 330,000 entrants to higher education would benefit from recent
experience of studying mathematics, but that fewer than 125,000
have this.
February 2012: ACME published Bridging the
Mathematics Gap: Have Your Say asking for the mathematical
community's advice on the development of a course for students who
did not currently take A-level mathematics but needed to continue
with mathematics.
December 2012: ACME published Post-16
mathematics: increasing provision and participation and Post-16
mathematics: planning for success. The first report outlined
four key strategies for increasing the number of young people
studying mathematics up to the age of 18, including the
introduction of a new post-16 mathematics qualification. The second
report outlined the steps that needed to be taken to make this
work.
Spring/ Summer 2013: ACME was asked by the
Department for Education to convene an
expert panel on post-16 Core Maths qualifications. The remit of
the panel was to draft clear guidelines to inform the development
of a new Level 3 mathematics qualification, to be used by the
Department for Education to decide which qualifications should be
counted as 'Core Maths'. The expert panel met between July and
September 2013.
October 2013: The expert panel submitted their
report to the Department for Education.
January 2014: The Department for Education
published a
policy statement on the introduction of post-16 Core Maths
qualifications in response to the expert panel report. In an
informal response, ACME welcomed the introduction of Core Maths and
in principle supported the breadth of measures outlined by the
Department for Education.
February 2014: ACME responded to the Department
for Education i
nformal consultation on the characteristics of Core Maths.
Autumn 2014: The Department for Education
announced
funding for schools and colleges to become early adopters of Core
Maths qualifications.
December 2014:
Six new Core Maths qualifications were accredited by
Ofqual.
December 2014: ACME published a Maths Snapshot
Maths for all to 18
outlining that all young people should study maths up to 18.
September 2014-2016: The Core Maths Support Programme
is supporting schools and colleges in offering Core Maths from
September 2015 onwards.
September 2015: Core Maths qualifications
available.