The Government will introduce tougher limits on the number of maths lessons a child can be taught in a day, amid concerns about the dangers of using the subject in such a risky environment.
The measures were announced by Education Secretary Nicky Morgan on Tuesday, after a survey by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSVPB) found a significant number of schools in the country had started teaching maths classes in dangerous or dangerous-looking classrooms.
In an effort to cut the number, the Government has introduced measures to limit the number or types of maths classes a child may be allowed to take.
Previously, schools could only allow a child to learn one class per day.
However, a consultation on the plans has seen the Department for Education (DfE) ask for more details of what maths lessons are allowed and what rules are in place.
Currently, children aged four to 11 can be taken on a maths course in a classroom that is only one metre long.
Under the proposals, this would be extended to a maximum of three maths classes, with the number being capped at three.
Students who cannot be taught maths can still be allowed maths lessons in a “safe” classroom, where they are allowed to practice on the same subject, which would also have to be on the school premises.
A DfE spokesperson said the new rules were to “improve the learning environment” of maths students, with a focus on teaching children how to use maths and to work with each other.
“Teaching maths in a safe environment will ensure pupils learn how to think, solve problems, communicate effectively and create new ideas,” the spokesperson said.
Some parents and teachers said they had already seen the effects of the new restrictions, with some parents who had children in maths classes complaining of having their children locked out of the room when they had to take their children to school.
Many schools have seen a surge in children using maths classes over the past year, with parents being urged to be careful to avoid taking their children there at all times.
According to the Royal College of Teachers, a quarter of pupils aged 11 to 15 in England are in maths lessons, up from 12 per cent a year ago.
But the RSPB said a lot of children were being left in maths class without any instruction at all.
Its chief executive, Jonathan Hill, said that there were now some “very dangerous” lessons in the schools, including one in a class where pupils were forced to sit with a rope tied around their necks.
He added that many of the pupils had not been taught any maths skills, and were left with little guidance on how to make decisions or how to work together to solve problems. “
These are things we have not been able to prevent before, and now we have the chance to.”
He added that many of the pupils had not been taught any maths skills, and were left with little guidance on how to make decisions or how to work together to solve problems.
DfI spokesperson for education and skills, Nicky Smith, said: “There is a growing concern about the use of maths in schools.
For example, the Royal School for Girls has been asked to investigate whether there is a connection between the introduction of a new compulsory maths lesson and the rise in the number and severity of problems students are reporting.
We also know that many teachers are not fully aware of the maths they are teaching and how to safely use it.”
The RSPT said there was “a huge need” for more research on the effects on maths students and that the new measures were being taken “without regard to the impact on schools”.
The new restrictions come after a report published by the RspB earlier this year, which found that almost one in 10 schools in England were teaching maths at a risk of having a pupil with a learning disability.
One in four children aged 11 and under in England have learning difficulties, the report found.
Among the issues cited by the report, was that maths was often taught to children with disabilities.
Last year, the Rt Rev Prof Robert Robinson said: ‘The impact of the rise of maths on the physical and mental wellbeing of children with learning disabilities has not been adequately studied, and is not well understood.
‘There is no easy solution to this problem.
Children with learning difficulties are more likely to be affected by the use, misuse or lack of understanding of maths.’
The report found that pupils with learning or developmental disabilities were more likely than their non-disabled peers to struggle with math at home and in the classroom.
It said that children who are in the poorest socio-economic groups were most likely to struggle to learn mathematics.
Dr Robinson said he hoped the new plans would help schools deal with the issue, as well as the problems it caused, such as being “in a class of their own”.
He said: “This is the first time that
