§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Education and Skills (Baroness Ashton of Upholland):My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (Mr Charles Clarke) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
I have today placed in the Library of the House copies of a booklet outlining the steps we are proposing to take in response to Making Mathematics Count, the report of the post-14 mathematics inquiry chaired by Professor Adrian Smith.
The report was published on 24 February and at that time I publicly welcomed it. Over the past few months I have been considering the recommendations very carefully, with advice from Adrian Smith and key partners in England, and now feel I am in a position to announce how I plan to take forward the key elements of the report.
The response applies to England only. The devolved administrations of Wales and Northern Ireland are considering the report's recommendations and developing their own responses. The report did not make specific recommendations for Scotland but the Scottish Executive will take the analysis of policy and provision into account.
The proposals address the four key areas identified in Adrian Smith's report: the supply of mathematics teachers, supporting teachers' continuing professional development, curriculum pathways, assessment and qualifications, and providing strategic leadership.
My proposals for strategic leadership include the appointment of a chief adviser on mathematics within the DfES to oversee implementation of the mathematics strategy and to raise the profile of the subject. Anita Straker of the Centre for British Teachers has been appointed on an interim basis.
My proposals to improve the supply and retention of teachers include:
raising the value of the teacher training bursary for mathematics graduates from £6,000 to £7,000 from September 2005;
increasing the value of the golden hello for new mathematics teachers from £4,000 to £5,000 for trainees entering PGCE courses from September 2005 onwards;
subject to the statutory advice of the School Teachers' Review Body, removing the cap on pay for mathematics ASTs, currently just under £50,000, guaranteeing them a minimum salary of £40,000;
doubling the number of undergraduates on the student associates scheme from 5,000 this year to 10,000 places by 2005–06, a high proportion of which will be in the shortage subjects. This programme 2WS encourages good quality undergraduates to consider training as teachers by giving them experience of working in schools as volunteers.
My proposals to support teachers' continuing professional development include:
setting out priorities for the new National Centre for Excellence in Mathematics Teaching which will provide strategic direction and leadership and, in partnership with the Advisory Committee for Mathematics Education, draw together the wider mathematics community to contribute their expertise and leadership. We expect to invite tenders by March 2005;
discussing with the profession the use of one inset day for subject-specific professional development from 2007;
developing pools of mathematics expertise within schools to increase the relevance and range of CPD opportunities on offer at a local level.
My proposals for the curriculum, assessment and qualifications include:
deciding on the introduction of a two-tier mathematics GCSE this autumn once evaluation of the pilot is complete following this summer's exams. This could be taught nationwide from September 2006;
asking the QCA to develop guidance for an extension curriculum separately at key stage 3 and 4 to stretch more able learners;
looking to the working group on 14–19 reform to draw on the recommendations for curriculum pathways in the Smith report. Their final report is due in the autumn;
looking to the QCA to work closely with the wider mathematics community as well as ACME on taking forward these and other proposals.
I believe that together these proposals will provide an effective answer to the challenges ahead and that they represent a fair balance between the needs of mathematics as a subject, what is reasonable in the context of other subjects and what is affordable. Needless to say, taking these proposals forward successfully will depend to a large extent on the advice and continuing support of the mathematics community and I will be looking to them for this.