Smith, who is also vice-chairman of the United Kingdom Mathematics Trust, said that forcing children through the exam system early was a ‘disaster’ and a ‘mistake’. Instead pupils should use the extended time to further enhance their skills and build on knowledge already taught in school.
He said: “Unusually bright people find the school mathematics syllabus undemanding. But there’s so much worthwhile mathematics to keep them happy and busy while their bodies turn into adults. School maths barely scratches the surface.”
The Welsh Government has agreed to continue a licensing deal which will give all learners at Welsh state schools free access to Microsoft 365 at school and at home.
Schools will play a greater role in ensuring every pupil has a clear post-16 destination, with a new approach to a guaranteed college or FE provider place available as a safety net being tested.
New data from Ofqual shows that schools and colleges across England are making progress in cyber security training, but are struggling to recover quickly from attacks when they occur.