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As Children’s Commissioner one of my main ambitions is that every child has access to a brilliant education: one that helps them to achieve their goals, no matter how ambitious. 

To make this possible they need access to a broad range of subjects, with a particular focus on the core subjects of English, maths and science. The government has launched a review of the existing curriculum, which I have wholeheartedly welcomed – and my Youth Ambassadors have been helping to shape this work.  

Over the last three years I have heard from more than a million young people who have told me about the issues they care about and what they think would help improve the lives of children across England. Education has figured prominently. 

Children tell me how important it is to go to school or college and they understand that working hard now will help to set them up for success in later life. They have told me in-depth what they think about learning maths. Many really love it but some of them have told me they need extra help – that’s where great teachers and a great curriculum can make all the difference.  

In The Big Ambition, one message that came out very clearly is that there is no shortage of ambition among young people. They are keen to learn more skills in subjects that transfer easily into their adult lives, through things like careers advice or financial education, as well as access to more extra-curricular activities, with an emphasis on fun like for example sports and music. But – crucially – they also want great maths and English lessons, and they recognise the value of ‘core’ subjects. 

To mark Maths Week England, I’m publishing a report that sets out what children have told me about maths. It sets out the breadth of their views in a comprehensive way:  

• some children reported they enjoyed maths or demanded more maths in school and others called on the government to make maths ‘more fun’;  
• some felt too much weight was placed on the subject at the expense of other areas;  
• there were some concerns about a need for more support for maths, and the pressure of maths exams and assessments; 
• many valued the importance of maths skills, with some calling for more practical maths education, applicable to real world contexts; and 
• many believe that understanding the practical application of maths in the real world would help them apply it to situations they will face when they leave education – for example around budgeting, student finance or when it comes to getting a mortgage.  

Perhaps most strikingly, children in this report identify differences between boys’ and girls’ attitudes to maths. Though there has been a welcome shift in how we promote so-called STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) subjects and careers in recent years, girls who I spoke to for this report agreed that a bias still exists in maths education that impacts how they feel about it.  

“The boys who were whizzy at maths were getting all the gold stars and it made me think I was bad at maths. I got that question wrong but that doesn’t mean I’m bad at maths. Failure isn’t a bad thing, mistakes aren’t a bad thing” – Girl, Children’s Commissioner roundtable 

We need to foster more supportive learning environments that boost confidence for every child, reframing what it means to ‘fail’ and encouraging healthy competition in learning that creates excitement and enjoyment, over inadequacy.  

Maths Week offers a moment to reflect on the importance of learning maths, in all its different forms, and making sure that it is a subject that’s accessible to all students regardless of where they come from.  

Read children’s voices on mathematics here.