A network of specialist maths schools for top performers in the subject will be created as part of the country’s post-Brexit strategy, Prime Minister Theresa May has announced.

The maths schools could be similar to those sponsored by Exeter and King’s College London, universities, where students the age of 16 are selected on strict entry criteria. Ms May said the schools would ensure students “develop the skills they need to do the high-paid, high-skilled jobs of the future”.

Fewer top-performers in the UK

According to the latest data from the Programme for International Student Assessment (Pisa), the proportion of top-performing students in maths in the UK fell between 2012 and 2015 - from 11.8 to 10.6 per cent. And across all Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries surveyed, the share of students who scored at or above level 5 - the second highest proficiency level in Pisa - fell by an average range of 1.8 percentage points. In order to obtain a level 5, students must master skills such as solving complex maths problems using algebra.

Singapore had the highest proportion of students attaining level 5 or above in maths (34.8 per cent). Meanwhile, in Jordan, Costa Rica, Colombia and Mexico, only 0.3 per cent of students achieved a level 5 or above.