Maths

Words by Michael Rosen

Illustration by Dan Berry

I was sitting one morning, radio on, drinking tea When I heard a voice, calling on me to agree (well, not just me, it was directed at the nation) that it was time to shake up post-16 education.

That’s funny, I thought, haven’t there been bills and acts which a secretary of state approves and enacts? But here was Mr Sunak telling us what he’d thought up. I nearly coughed up my tea back into my cup!

Maths! More maths! The Prime Minister demanded. I wondered if this is what he had commanded. Is education now run to a brand-new plan: what gets taught is the whim of just one man?

What if post-16s would prefer other subjects? And could it just be a person of that age objects?

And there’s one other matter causing a laugh: how’s Rishi going to get all his new maths staff?