A new report by OCR says that GCSE maths education is “currently failing around a third of students”, who do not get a Grade 4 in the subject and enter a cycle of post-16 resits.  Just 17% of maths resit students attained a good pass last year.

OCR is calling for "urgent reform" of England's GCSE maths resit policy, the introduction of a new GCSE Short Course Maths qualification, and much improved Key Stage 3 assessment.

A Grade 4 is considered by the government, employers and education institutions as evidence that a student has basic maths fundamentals. The qualification is a requirement for many jobs and education opportunities.

However, OCR has found that multiple problems are causing students to miss this target. There is also evidence that many who do get a Grade 4 do not have some of the maths skills that should be considered fundamental.

The report builds on the research in OCR's Striking the Balance report, released last year. This report called for a rebalancing of assessment at GCSE and a reduction in curriculum size across many subject including maths. It also found that many students who did not achieve a Grade 4 at GCSE did not have the basic maths fundamentals they needed for life, and that should have been learned before Year 10. 

A new Short Course maths qualification would create a much more focused approach to the fundamentals compared to the current overloaded GCSE curriculum.

The OCR proposals would give young people a better chance at mastering the most important elements of maths and give businesses greater reassurance that a young person has mastered these skills.

The new maths short course GCSE would be taken at the end of Year 10 and would lead to a full course GCSE at the end of Year 11, maintaining the high standards and even creating new stretch opportunities for those who excel at the subject. All students would continue to study maths until at least 16, but spreading the assessment over two years would help students of all abilities.

Jill Duffy, Chief Executive of OCR, said: “The way the country delivers maths education is leaving too many students behind for preventable reasons. Given the significant impact that a lack of maths skills can have on job prospects and financial literacy this should be a national priority.

“Fortunately, while these problems are urgent, they are not insurmountable. We need to focus on what is really needed from the GCSE both for students and employers. This means providing a clear assurance that a student has the fundamental skills for work and life. A Short Course Maths GCSE can achieve this without reducing the challenge for those who excel in the subject.”

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Recommendations

• Reduce the total assessment requirement and start the process of refreshing the alternative qualification approach to allow students to sit a portion of the GCSE at the end of year 10.
• Remove some content and pare back some content areas across the GCSE curriculum.
• Offer a universal, transferable and recognisable short course qualification that enables progression to post-16 routes. The existing resit policy needs urgent reform. Reducing the number of students entering post-16 resit cycles would ensure those that need the most help will receive it whilst in school. 
• Embed a KS3 formative assessment that empowers and supports students to make progress at KS4. This will encourage a more systematic approach to KS3 teaching. Wider access for teachers to NCETM Maths Hubs will also help to support students develop mathematical competency throughout KS3 and KS4.