Excelling at maths leads to bigger sums later

Excelling at maths in class leads to bigger sums later


A study by the Institute for Fiscal Studies suggests that children who are good at maths at the age of 10 go on to earn more later in life.
Being good at mathematics while at school is often indirectly proportional to the success of your social life. But as geeks have long suspected, it is worth it in the end.
A study suggests that children who are good at maths at the age of 10 go on to earn more later in life.
Pupils who score highly in the subject are likely to earn about £2,100 extra a year by the time they are 30. The study also shows that early skills in reading can have a similar, if less pronounced, effect.
The research, published by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS), looked at the link between the reading and maths score of pupils born in April 1970 at the age of 10, and their earnings at the ages of 30, 34 and 38.
The findings show that children who scored in the top 15 per cent of maths scores at 10 were likely to earn about 7.3 per cent more when they were 30 than children who gained a middle-ranking score. This is equivalent to about £2,100 extra a year in their pay packets, the report suggests.
It found that children who are good at reading also had higher salaries later in life, although the effect was smaller. The study says that a child aged 10 who scored in the top 15 per cent for reading is likely to earn 1.9 per cent more per year at 30 than a similar pupil with a middle-ranking score. This is equivalent to earning an extra £550 a year.
Claire Crawford, from the IFS and author of the report, said the findings showed the importance of investing in maths skills early on. “Our research shows that maths skills developed during primary school continue to matter for earnings 20 to 30 years down the line. Moreover, they seem to matter more than reading skills, and over and above the qualifications that young people go on to obtain.”
The study, by the Centre for Analysis of Youth Transitions, was funded by the Department for Education.
Elizabeth Truss, the Schools Minister, said: “This research clearly shows why mastering the basics in maths at primary school is so important.”
Stephen Twigg, the Shadow Education Secretary, has said that Labour wants to set up a national network of after-school computing clubs, funded by savings of schools moving to cloud computing. Labour is looking to Israel’s record in computer science, which is now seen as world-leading.
Only 3,400 students took an A Level in computing last year, compared with 12,500 in 1998.