Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support STEM skills development in (a) secondary schools and (b) colleges in Fylde constituency.

The Spending Review announced investment of over £1 billion per year in skills by 2028/29. This aims to equip learners with the skills needed for today’s and tomorrow’s workforce, and expand technical and work-based training across all sectors and age groups. Key initiatives providing science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) opportunities include a broadened apprenticeships offer, T Levels with industry placements, Higher Technical Qualifications at levels 4–5, and Free Courses for Jobs providing access to high-value level 3 qualifications for students wherever they live, including in Fylde.

The department recently announced an £8.2 million investment in the Advanced Maths Support Programme to support rising standards and progression to advanced mathematics post-16 across England, and ultimately, support the STEM and artificial intelligence pipelines of the future. We have also introduced the advanced maths premium (revised from 2024) and core maths premium (new from 2024) for 16-19 providers to support greater provision for students to achieve a mathematics qualification post-16.

The department also supports a range of initiatives to support high-quality STEM teaching in schools across England, including the National Centre for Computing Education, the Maths Hubs programme and the Subject Knowledge for Physics Teachers programme.