Rishi Sunak to make math compulsory for students up to 18

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Rishi Sunak will reveal his intention to make it compulsory to study a form of mathematics until the age of 18, with the aim of ensuring that the Kingdom United rivals the best education systems in the world.

However, change will only come after the next election, which opinion polls currently suggest the Tories will lose to Labour.

In his first public engagement of the year, Mr Sunak will use a speech in central London to warn that the jobs of the future will require more analytical skills than ever before.

“Leaving our children in the world without these skills is letting our children down,” he will say.

He will also highlight the fact that, unlike many other countries, only half of 16-19 year olds study math.

Mr Sunak is said to want a revolution in numeracy to mirror that seen in literacy over the past decades and sees it as part of a mission that could help create a better future for Britain.

However, the Baccalaureate in Mathematics will not be compulsory for everyone. Instead, ministers envision pupils taking some form of maths lessons alongside other subjects.

The A-level system reduces the number of subjects teenagers study faster than in other countries. Critics say it hampers the desire to create all-rounders, while proponents say it allows students to adapt more quickly to the rigors of a college course.

In his speech, Mr Sunak, who was educated at Winchester College, will say: "It's personal to me. All the opportunities I've had in life started with education I was blessed to receive.

"And that is the most important reason I entered politics: to give every child the highest level of education possible. ”

He will praise previous Conservative governments saying that thanks to their reforms, and the hard work of teachers, "incredible progress" has been made.

He will also say that with the "good commitment to excellence - I see no reason why we cannot compete with the best education systems in the world".

Work on the changes will begin in this parliament , but will not be completed until after the next election, creating a challenge for Labour, who are expected to decide whether to drop the idea or go ahead with it.

Around eight million adults are thought to in England have the numeracy skills of a primary school child.

Many developed countries, including Canada, Germany, Finland, Japan and the United States, require math...