Campaign for Mathematical Sciences unveils multi-million pound grant scheme to fuel new innovation in higher education maths
Initiative comes ahead of record number of A Level maths results
For the first time over 100,000 pupils will receive A Level maths results this week. And further maths is the fastest growing subject at A Level.
Maths has been the most popular subject at A Level for 10 years now. However, the number of undergraduates studying the subject has remained flat in that time. The proportion of the total student population doing maths has shrunk and a number of universities have cut provision and closed departments.
Today, the Campaign for Mathematical Sciences (CaMS) launches its first project: Maths Degrees for the Future. University departments will be able to bid for grants of up to £500,000 to fund innovation in maths teaching and curriculum design. The initiative aims to increase the overall pool of students going into mathematical science degrees – ensuring all mathematics departments thrive and equipping graduates with the flexibility to move into a wide range of subject areas and careers.
To understand the current state of higher-education mathematical sciences, CaMS commissioned a report by Professor Paul Wakeling of the University of York.
Despite the subject’s popularity at A Level, his findings showed:
Maths has suffered a significant relative decline in popularity at university level. First-degree first-year enrolments in maths were only slightly higher in 2021/22 than in 2012/13. This compares to growth at that level in all subjects of around one quarter over the same time period.
Maths has a lower proportion of socioeconomically disadvantaged students than the sector average. Growth in first-degree maths first-year enrolments in the last decade is concentrated among students from managerial households studying at Russell Group universities
The East of England, Northern Ireland, Wales and Yorkshire and Humber have lower numbers of maths first-year first-degree students than would be expected given the population of school leavers in those regions
There is a particular issue with maths enrolments decreasing at post-1992 universities, where research shows that graduates are more likely to train as teachers.
The UK enrols more students in STEM subjects than the OECD average but the trends outlined above put that leadership at risk
Cuts in university spending have led to a number of departmental cuts and closures. For example, last year Oxford Brookes university announced the closure of its maths courses. A rage of institutions including Brighton and Birkbeck, University of London have cut staffing numbers.
The Campaign for Mathematical Sciences – previously Protect Pure Maths - is led by the London Mathematical Society and supported by all the UK’s learned mathematical sciences societies. It is funded by XTX Markets, a leading algorithmic trading company headquartered in the UK, and a major donor in maths education and research.
Maths Degrees for the Future
Maths Degrees for the Future is one of a number of projects that CaMS will lead to tackle the issues facing the mathematical sciences.
Maths Degrees for the Future grants are open to all UK universities to create innovative degree programmes in the mathematical sciences, whilst retaining a core focus on foundational maths.
Full details of the Maths Degrees for The Future scheme will be announced in September 2024. A number of grants of up to £500,000 each will be awarded.
The fund is being led by CaMS and is supported by the wider mathematical community.
Professor Jens Marklof, President of the London Mathematical Society, said, “The record number of pupils receiving A Level maths results this week is incredibly encouraging.
“Maths is key to the UK’s brightest future – it underpins many of our most urgent technologies such as AI and quantum computing, and is key to solving the nation’s challenges from climate change and epidemiology to national security.
“Maths Degrees for the Future shows the commitment from CaMS to generate solutions - new and transformative ideas from across the community that ensure the sustainability of maths in higher-education across all-tariff levels. The call for applications will open in September 2024, with full details on the submission and deadlines announced then. The fund will set a pathway for the future of teaching maths, with the aim to increase the overall pool of students going into a mathematical sciences degree.”
Professor Paul Wakeling of York University said, “Understanding maths in UK higher education – the size, shape and trajectory of the student body; who studies maths and where – is key in planning for the future.
“Over the past decade, maths has been losing share within UK undergraduate education and there are clear patterns in how the undergraduate population skews in terms of geographical location, sex, socio economic background and the sort of institution where the subject is most likely to be studied. There is a danger of an unhelpful feedback loop whereby maths becomes the preserve of a narrower slice of the population.”
