Maths is more than numbers—it’s a gateway to understanding the world, solving problems, and unlocking future opportunities. Yet for many students, teachers, and even parents, maths can be a source of stress and fear. At Pearson, we believe that maths anxiety shouldn’t stand in the way of learning. That’s why we’ve launched a campaign to support confidence in maths across the UK.
Following the release of the government’s Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper, which acknowledges the urgent need to rethink how GCSE resits can better support students, we're reflecting on the insights gathered through our Resit Rethink campaign to date.
Earlier this year, we spoke with 1000 college students and 1000 college tutors to understand what’s working - and what isn’t - in GCSE English and maths resits.
The findings are clear: resits have the potential to support progress but the current model doesn’t always students up to succeed.
76% of maths teachers responding to Pearson’s 2024 School Report stated that teacher recruitment and retention was a top challenge for their school to manage. Followed by budget pressures (51%) and teacher/school leader workload (41%).
These are all widespread issues affecting many maths teachers, day in and day out. They require whole-sector collaboration to improve. But there are also solutions available now to help ease the strain.
Dr Simon Singh MBE (@SLSIngh) completed a PhD in particle physics and went on to become an author, journalist and TV producer, specialising in maths and science. His books include “Fermat’s Last Theorem” and “The Code Book”.
Following his recent appearance on Pearson’s The Right Angle podcast, Simon shares his thoughts on why we should nurture and challenge our most talented students, and how his Parallel Academy * was built to do just that.
Following her recent appearance on Pearson’s The Right Angle podcast, Dr Meghna shares her thoughts on why promoting equity within the maths classroom is a goal worth pursuing and her five top tips to help you get there.
For the first time ever, more than 100,000 students are collecting A level Maths results in this summer’s exams.
At Pearson, we’ve closely followed the rise in the popularity of maths over the last decade as the exam board that’s proud to support the largest number of schools and students with this subject.
But what does such a significant 12.9% year-on-year rise in entries tell us?
by Dr Ems Lord, NRICH
Although maths is the most popular A Level choice among teenagers (JCQ, 2023), we must address the negative attitudes surrounding a subject where it’s socially acceptable to claim to be ‘no good with numbers’, that ‘maths has no uses in the real-world’ or that ‘maths is boring.’
As someone who loves the subject I chose to study and teach, I’m focusing my efforts on challenging those negative beliefs and I hope that the ideas in this article encourage you to do so too.
Power of Maths Spotlight with Dr Ems Lord, NRICH
Creating safe spaces, triggering engagement, and challenging anti-maths mindsets.