Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help encourage underrepresented groups of young people to study physics.

The Department supports a range of work to improve the uptake of and attainment in physics to ensure that anyone, regardless of their background, can pursue an education in science.

The Department funds the Isaac Physics programme, an online platform of GCSE and A level physics materials developed by Cambridge University, which is designed to increase the numbers of students, particularly from typically underrepresented backgrounds, studying physics in higher education.

The Department also funds the Inclusion in Schools project, delivered by the Association for Science Education, which is designed to increase the uptake of A level physics by students in underrepresented groups, including girls.

A key objective of the Institute of Technology programme is to increase the participation of individuals from underrepresented groups in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) including, for example, women or disadvantaged groups in local areas. Increased uptake will help to increase the long term pipeline of STEM skills.

The Department also supports the STEM Ambassadors programme, a nationwide network of volunteers from STEM and related employers. Approximately 45% of ambassadors are women and 15% are from minority ethnic backgrounds, providing young people with a variety of role models. These ambassadors visit primary and secondary schools across the UK to raise awareness of the diverse range of STEM careers and enable young people to explore and develop their skills and interest in STEM.

Additionally, the Department is working with some of the country’s most influential employers through the Apprenticeship Diversity Champions Network to understand how to better reach out to people from disadvantaged backgrounds and underrepresented groups.