“Nobody needs good maffs these days.”
It’s interesting to see the old “Should we ‘make’ children learn maths up to 18?” is rearing its ugly head once again.
(In case you missed it I’m referring to this article from the BBC referencing Rishi Sunak’s stated ambition to get all students up to 18 all clued up with their maths skills.)
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-65293430
Even though I’m an eleven-plus tutor and nothing fires me up more than a good ‘ole tricky maths question (other subjects covered, too!) it could be argued that, for the majority of children, it’d be better if they had less enforced maths and more time allocated for PE and sports sessions.
“What!?” I hear you cry.
This is because being unhealthy later in life has more of an impact on someone’s health and welfare than their maths, English or humanities skills combined.
Being overweight, or lacking in good muscle strength are two indicators of longer-term health issues, including earlier onset of mental decay as we age.
Regular snapshots and tests indicate children in England aren’t getting any fitter, mentally OR physically, but they are getting fatter.
One in four children (26%) in Year 6 were found to be obese or severely obese in the 2020/21 school year, up from one in five in 2019/20 (21%). One in seven children (14%) in Reception were obese or severely obese in the 2020/21 school year, up from one in 10 in 2019/20 (10%).*
If those many children can’t keep the weight off when they’re young, how can we expect them to ‘suddenly’ improve when all of the other influences of life (jobs, careers, etc) start pressing down on them, just a few years later?
If the Government REALLY wanted to help the majority of children, they’d do better finding a way to keep both PE and maths on the timetable for all students!
SO WHY BOTHER ABOUT MATHS?
It only takes a few minutes flicking through a few Facebook groups or clickbait posts to realise there are loads of peeps out there who say “Ain’t nuffink useful about ‘aving good mafs skills. Donna what you’re on about.”
I find you’ll read this a lot in the property investment or digital currency forums.
“Start your own home business” or “Make millions from home” posters are full of this stuff, too.
In those groups you’ll read people saying “Nobody needs maths these days. Everything you need to work out you can do on a phone’s calculator.” etc.
All seem to forget to mention the fact that most businesses don’t make it past three years and those that do, well the majority aren’t going to be giving Musk or Belos any competition in the “wealthiest person” charts.
So whilst the government keeps talking about keeping children involved in maths until 18, where does this leave you, a parent of a child who’s thinking about getting them into a grammar school or an independent school?
Since your attention’s on years 3-6 right now.
Well, that’s rather down to which side of the fence you sit.
If you’re one of the “Nuffink good came of maths,” brigade, perhaps one of the “My BTLs are my pension,” or “Digital money’s where it’s at nowadays,” crowd, you might not be too interested in your child’s academic success.
Ok, that’s your call, but as tutors, we focus on excellence, a way to help support families to get their children into a ‘better’ school than the local council authority might decide to allocate for them.
Yup, there are always a few Lilly-livered parents who say “Don’t push the little cherubs. Let ’em play more. Let ’em ‘ave some fun.”
Well, that’s fine’n’dandy but unless one’s born with a silver spoon in one’s mouth, life in the big, wide world ain’t too fair, so securing whatever advantages your child can obtain NOW sounds a PERFECT idea in my mind.
Only about five per cent (5%) of children score high enough to secure a place in a grammar school, with a further seven per cent (7%) securing places at independent (fee-paying) schools.
Many try out for those spots, and most FAIL to make the grade.
Those kids then end up in the local lottery scheme otherwise known as “My local council dictates my child’s educational journey.”
Looking at how good they are managing bin collections and road maintenance I don’t fancy their chances of getting education right, do you?
It’s the decisions you make over the coming weeks that will translate into how your child’s education and life thereafter shape up.
Decide well.
P.S. Here’s the link if you missed it earlier https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-65293430