Theresa May set to announce a new specialist maths school for EVERY town and extra funding to help boost standards
Headteachers will get extra funding to prioritise maths as PM prepares to invest £170m in improving technical education
KIDS are to get extra help to shine in maths – with a specialist school to be opened in every town.
Experts will be sent in to raise standards and help create a new generation of top-notch number-crunchers.
Heads will get extra funding to convert to specialist maths status as part of a drive to boost the skills of British pupils.
The move is part of a £170million revolution in technical education to be unveiled by the PM on Monday.
Theresa May will announce new funding to establish prestigious Institutes of Technology to deliver high-level training as a top-quality alternative to university.
But she will is keen to make sure youngsters leave school with a proper grasp of maths needed to take a technical course.
She will use the free school model to create specialist maths schools across the country to lift standards.
British teenagers lag behind the rest of the world in maths and now rank 27th out of 72 major countries – trailing Estonia, Poland and Slovenia.
A study by the OECD showed our kids’ performance at maths has stagnated, with minimal improvements over the past ten years.
Under the plan, specialist maths schools will team up with university maths departments to give pupils high-quality teaching.
The idea is based on the success of maths schools at Exeter and Kings College London.
Business Secretary Greg Clark said: “The UK has some of the best universities in the world and our schools are improving. Yet, for too long technical education for school leavers has been neglected, with large differences in skill levels between regions.
“We must improve skills and opportunities so we can close the gap between the best people, places and businesses and the rest.
“It’s about making our country one of the most competitive places in the world to start and grow a business.
“We are inviting people throughout the UK to contribute to this work to create a high-skilled economy that works for everyone.”
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Maths schools will form part of a 10-point industrial strategy aimed at improving living standards, productivity and growth.
It will be launched by the PM at a Cabinet meeting to be held in Warrington, Cheshire.
