Increasing the maths education levels in England

Etio (formerly Tribal Education Services) and MEI continue to work on the Advanced Maths Support Programme designed to address regional and gender variations in the study of advanced mathematics post-16 and increase opportunities for young people. 

MEI, supported by Etio once again, has been awarded the contract by the Department of Education to deliver the Advanced Maths Support Programme (AMSP) for a further two years until the end of the 2023/24 academic year. The national programme is designed to increase the maths education levels in England and better prepare young people for apprenticeships, work, and higher education.

The AMSP programme continues to support level 3 mathematics, including AS and A level Mathematics and Further Mathematics, and Core Maths qualifications. In addition, the AMSP will also now provide a Core Maths Specialist Lead Programme, building on our work with the National Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics (NCETM). This adds to the scope of the AMSP and together MEI and Etio will train and deploy Core Maths Specialist Leads to improve the provision and quality of Core Maths teaching, with the aim of increasing the number of schools and colleges offering these level 3 qualifications.

In line with the Department for Education’s social value priorities, the programme also incorporates a change to the AMSP’s Priority Areas, which sees us now focusing on the lowest third of Local Authorities based on the deprivation and disadvantage data. Our Priority Area Support team will now therefore be targeting support in over 600 Priority Area institutions to increase the capacity of England’s schools and colleges to teach level 3 maths.

The AMSP was first launched in 2018 in response to Professor Sir Adrian Smith’s review of post-16 mathematics, which emphasised the economic importance of post-16 mathematics education and highlighted regional and gender variations in the study of post-16 mathematics. As part of this new phase of the programme, Etio will be helping to increase the number of girls taking level 3 maths, and will also be supporting students looking to progress to further study and careers in STEM.

Matt Davis, Managing Director of Etio's Education Services business, conveys his backing and shared vision for this collaborative programme:

"We’re delighted to be involved in such a worthwhile and pioneering programme, and to continue the close cooperation between Etio and MEI, who we have worked alongside for many years now, in both the delivery of the AMSP as well as the NCETM. Drawing upon our experience with NCETM and the Maths Hub Network, we are bringing together regional and local experts in schools, colleges and higher education to improve the provision of level 3 maths education, and hopefully helping to inspire young people, regardless of background, gender or location, to choose to study maths at level 3 post-16, and progress into successful related" careers.