Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking at (a) primary and (b) secondary level to encourage more girls into STEM subjects.

The Department is committed to ensuring that anyone, regardless of their gender or background, can pursue an education in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects. To support this, the Department has committed substantial spending to STEM education.

The Department funds the Isaac Physics programme 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 to increase the uptake of A level physics from underrepresented students, including girls.

Additionally, the Department is funding the Advanced Mathematics Support Programme, which provides tailored national support for teachers and students in all state funded schools and colleges in England with additional provision for those in priority areas, in particular girls and disadvantaged groups. The Department’s Maths Hubs programme focuses on improving attainment gaps, which may be associated with disadvantage, gender, or other factors.

The Department is allocating £100 million of funding into the National Centre for Computing Education to drive increased participation in computer science and funding research programmes looking into how to tackle gender balance in STEM subjects.

Secondary schools are expected to provide pupils with at least one meaningful interaction with employers per pupil per year, with a particular focus on STEM employers. These interactions introduce pupils to a range of different career possibilities and challenge stereotypes, as well as helping to prepare them for the workplace. This can be facilitated through programmes such as the STEM Ambassadors programme, a nationwide network of volunteers and STEM related employers providing a range of engaging and inspiring activities for pupils. Approximately 45% of these ambassadors are women and 15% are from minority ethnic backgrounds, providing young people with a variety of role models.