Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they will take to reduce the gender achievement gap in science and maths in secondary schools in England.

All children and young people should have the opportunity to succeed, no matter who they are or where they are from, which is why our mission is to break down barriers to opportunity.

High and rising standards are at the heart of this mission, delivered through excellent teaching and leadership, a high-quality curriculum and a system which removes the barriers to learning.

The department remains committed to ensuring all children and young people have a strong foundation in mathematics to thrive in the modern economy, regardless of gender.

The department has a number of initiatives in place aimed at helping schools to improve their curricula and to drive up mathematics attainment, such as the Maths Hub programme. This department-funded, school-led network aims to improve the teaching of mathematics for all pupils in publicly-funded schools. The Maths Hubs programme focusses on reducing attainment gaps, which may be associated with disadvantage, gender or other factors, by providing school-to-school support focussed on mathematics subject knowledge and pedagogy training for teachers.

The government is supporting schools to promote science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) related subjects and careers through programmes such as STEM ambassadors. Volunteers who are registered for this initiative actively engage with children and young people to spark their interest in STEM subjects and raise their awareness of the pathways into STEM careers through their personal experiences. Of these volunteers, 48% are women and 17% are from an ethnic minority background.

The department is a partner signatory to the Tomorrow’s Engineers Code pledging to work with the engineering community to improve the quality, targeting, inclusivity and reach of engineering inspiration activities. The Code is a framework for organisations working to increase the number and diversity of young people pursuing engineering careers.