Education leaders in Scotland have been accused of “dumbing down” maths after it emerged thousands of pupils have shifted to an easier numeracy course that offers limited opportunities for progression.
There has been a sixfold rise in students sitting a more basic “applications of mathematics” National 5 course while entries for more advanced maths have dropped by 8 per cent.
The simpler subject excludes key disciplines such as algebra and trigonometry but offers no opportunity for advancement to higher maths and is shunned by many university course leaders.
The course has been available at National 5 since 2017 but a dedicated Higher was launched last year. Universities do not accept the easier qualification for entry to popular courses such as computing and engineering.
The launch of the simpler maths Higher coincided with Scotland’s slide down the international rankings. A decade ago Scottish attainment in the Programme for International Student Assessment study was above England and the OECD average, in line with countries such as Ireland and Denmark. Last year the OECD revealed Scotland had fallen behind England and was closer to Russia.
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Rishi Sunak, the prime minister, has pledged to make maths compulsory for pupils up to the age of 18 in England.
Scotland has a poor uptake of maths beyond age 16, with less than half of pupils with National 5 maths going on to Higher. National 5 maths entries fell from 41,000 in 2018 to 38,000 last year, while uptake of the easier applications for maths soared from 2,500 to more than 14,000.
Willie Rennie, the Liberal Democrat education spokesman, said schools must make clear that the applications course was no substitute for the rigorous maths required at many university courses.
He said: “If the new application of mathematics course increases the numbers overall studying some form of maths that would be good, but if it just shifts pupils from the traditional mathematics course to the new one it would be dumbing down.”
About 18,000 pupils sat Higher mathematics last year, a 7 per cent drop from 2021 and the lowest in at least six years. The new applications of mathematics Higher attracted 870 applicants.
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The University of Edinburgh does not accept the applications Higher for maths, physics, engineering, economics, finance and computer science, although it is recognised for medicine, biological science and geography.
Strathclyde University lists 21 courses where applications is not accepted, including engineering, computing and electronics, but it is acceptable for education and social sciences. Aberdeen has similar exclusions.
The applications course was designed to “increase participation in mathematics at higher level” but entries were lower than previous years.
More than 19,000 people sat Higher mathematics in 2020 and 2021, but less than 19,000 sat maths and applications of mathematics combined last year, in line with pre-pandemic years.
Entries during the pandemic were probably boosted by the higher chance of passing when qualifications were awarded using teacher judgment. An unprecedented 83 per cent of pupils passed Higher maths in 2020, up from 72 per cent in 2019.
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The pass rate fell back closer to pre-pandemic levels last year at nearly 76 per cent, although pupils were graded more generously to mitigate the months of missed schooling during the pandemic.
Stephen Kerr, the Scottish Conservative education spokesman, said: “Focusing on maths lessons isn’t a bad idea by the UK government. If the same mantra were adopted in Scotland we might be able to avoid the predictable SNP ‘mistakes’ over Gers [government expenditure and revenue statistics].”
Seamus Searson, general secretary of the Scottish Secondary Teachers’ Association, urged the SNP to broaden pupils’ horizons as they approach adulthood rather than funnel them into narrow subjects, adding: “A broader curriculum . . . should not only include mathematics but a good range of subjects including languages and technical education.”
Shirley-Anne Somerville, the education secretary, said: “Under Curriculum for Excellence, all teachers have responsibility for promoting the development of numeracy. This recognises the place of maths and numeracy in life, learning and work and provides the foundation and gateway for those who wish to continue STEM subjects at the senior school phase and beyond. We have no plans to change this.”
