I asked a student to add up her marks, all one-digit numbers: she reached for the calculator. Another student needed to work out 4x3: he reached for the calculator. In addition to being a maths tutor, I also deliver business training. A delegate in her twenties needed to add up some one-digit numbers: guess what.

I have a solution. England’s education secretary Michael Gove should negotiate a contract with a skip hire company, which would visit all state schools and collect every calculator, with special dispensation for students doing higher-level maths.

Bryan Edwards, Former maths teacher.