We are being told by the Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, that more pupils by the age of 18 must have a greater understanding and application in maths so give future citizens more ‘confidence’ in the subject. What about the humanities, arts and all the creative areas of the curriculum? I fear that greater attention to the mathematics curriculum could be top-ended loaded. That is, what happens at 18 influences what is taught in primary schools. Still, the general election is not far away and it will take more than two years to implement. Two years is a long time in politics.