* League tables should be abolished as soon as schools can be trusted to pursue their own targets of higher standards, the Government’s maths tsar said this week.
Professor Celia Hoyles said: “There was life before league tables. They are a very good monitoring tool but it would be nice eventually to say schools can define and work towards their own targets.”
Speaking at a maths and computing conference organised by the Specialist Schools Trust, Professor Hoyles said the pressure on schools to move up league tables and hit targets prevents them from encouraging pupils to enjoy maths and continue with the subject beyond the age of 16.
