Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether children in rural schools have equitable access to advanced STEM programs.

Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.

The department is committed to ensuring that all pupils, including those in rural schools, have access to high‑quality science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) education. All our STEM programmes can be accessed across England, regardless of location.

The department funds a range of programmes for teachers to support STEM education, including the Subject Knowledge for Physics Teaching programme, the National Centre for Computing Education, and the Advanced Maths Support Programme (AMSP).

For pupils, the AMSP offers the Maths into Data Science and artificial intelligence programme, an online, assessed course for post-16 learners.

The government continues to fund the STEM Ambassadors programme, a nationwide network of more than 28,000 volunteers registered from over 7,500 employers, reaching over 3 million young people every year. These volunteers engage with young people to spark interest in STEM subjects and showcase the wide variety of STEM careers by sharing their personal experiences.