Humanities ‘should be compulsory’ at A-level

A-levels should be reformed so pupils study a humanities subject, mathematics and a foreign language until the end of school to tackle a decline in humanities enrolments at universities, a report suggests.

Requiring maths to be studied would improve the numerical abilities of humanities graduates and boost their employment prospects, according to a paper published by the Higher Education Policy Institute.

Nick Hillman, its director, said: “The lively current debates on issues like statues and decolonising the curriculum prove that most people know we can only fully understand our society when the humanities thrive.”