The first four conferences “Mathematical Education of Engineers” held at Loughborough provided an overview of the then current general education background relevant to the teaching of mathematics to engineers. Within this forum mathematics teachers from a wide variety of higher educational institutions together with engineering colleagues and participants from industry were able to discuss issues such as increased numbers of students greater variation in mathematical preparedness among new students improved quality assurance relevance of topics in the syllabus and the maintenance of both university and professional standards. Since the 2003 conference some important reports have been published. These include the Smith report Making Mathematics Count and the White Paper 14 – 19 Education and Skills (the Tomlinson report). In addition the report Where will the next generation of UK mathematicians come from? presents some of the general concerns about the mathematical ability of students entering tertiary education. The HE sector has been involved with Subject Review (QAA) Benchmarking Programme Specifications and student intake changes arising from the introduction of A/S and revised A-level qualifications.
