Written Evidence Submitted by Teach First

(DIV0037)

Scope

Over the last few years, diversity in education has been a central theme of our campaigning work. Our 2021 manifesto, ‘A fighting chance for every child’, contains a section with several proposals on how we can make the education system more inclusive. We have also previously published two discrete reports on the issue of diversity in STEM, ‘Missing Elements’ and ‘STEMinism: One year on’.

We think that this submission should be read in conjunction with these reports, as they both contain additional data and illuminating case studies that highlight the impact on those working on the frontline.

This submission begins with a brief outline of who we are as a charity. It is then structured around the topics that were outlined by the Select Committee. Where possible, we have linked to source material.

About Teach First

Teach First is an education charity which is fighting to make our education system work for every child. Backing the schools facing the toughest challenges, we find and train teachers, develop their leadership teams and plug them into networks of diverse expertise and opportunities to create real change.   

We know that teachers and school leaders make a decisive difference to unlock the potential in all children, which is why we work to support schools so they have everything they need to thrive. Operating across all regions of England, we have recruited over 18,000 teachers and leaders, have over 95 headteachers in our alumni and have supported over two million pupils over nearly two decades.

Teach First’s activities include:

•       Getting great teachers into the schools that need them most through our two-year Training Programme. Our trainee teachers commit to staying in their schools for a minimum of two years, teaching an Early Career Teacher timetable. More than half of teachers who have completed our programme since 2003 are still in teaching today.

•       Providing support for entire school leadership teams through our Leading Together programme.

•       Developing individuals to become effective leaders through our range of National Professional Qualifications.

•       Supporting Early Career Teachers (ECTs) early in their career to thrive through the Early Career Framework (ECF).

•       Offering free training for Careers Leaders to develop long-term, school-wide careers strategies to improve student opportunities after school.

•       Connecting schools through networks to share knowledge and resources on how to tackle inequality in education.

1. The nature or extent to which women, ethnic minorities, people with disabilities and those from disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds are underrepresented in STEM

• Gender: A report we launched in 2020, “Missing Elements: Why ‘Steminism’ Matters In The Classroom And Beyond”, found that not a single woman’s name explicitly features in the national curriculum for GCSE science. And in a sample analysis of the GCSE double science specifications from three of the major exam boards, we found that only two female scientists were explicitly named. In contrast, over 40 male scientists were mentioned, or had concepts or materials named after them.
• Ethnicity: Research undertaken by University College London and then cited by the Hamilton Commission found that out of a population of approx. 500,000 teachers, 86% are White British, compared to 65% of students. Nearly half of all schools in England (46%) have no Black, Asian or minority ethnic teachers. And just 2% of all teachers are from Black ethnic groups. It is also worth noting that they employment of BAME teaching staff is significantly higher in Inner and Outer London – and particularly low in the North East and South West regions.
• Socioeconomic background: Analysis conducted by Friedman and Laurison and outlined in ‘The Class Ceiling’ shows that privileged-origin people (defined as those who have parents that worked in professional occupations) are 12 times more likely to be doctors than those from working-class backgrounds.

2. The reasons why these groups are underrepresented in STEM

Whilst there are a range of range of structural and cultural reasons why certain demographic groups are underrepresented in STEM, we think that the issue starts in primary and secondary school.

While, on average, girls do as well in science GCSEs as boys, they are far less likely to pursue STEM subjects at A-level. Over half of male A-level students enrol in at least one maths or science subject, whereas the equivalent percentage for female students is 37%. And the problem is even greater for girls from poorer backgrounds, who are the least-likely group of A-level students to study maths, physics, chemistry, or computer science. According to DfE data from 2019, a girl from a disadvantaged background is eight times less likely to choose physics than a boy from a non-disadvantaged background, and nine times less likely to choose computer science. For further relevant background evidence about the problem, please refer to the Fawcett Society’s 2019 report titled ‘Gender Stereotypes in Early Childhood: A Literature Review’.

With respect to ethnicity, research conducted by the Hamilton Commission found that fewer Black Caribbean students studied the Triple Science route than any other ethnic background. Previous research has also shown that, in many schools, students are not always given the opportunity to choose whether to take the triple science pathway, but have the decision made for them through, for example, setting or streaming. Top set students are more likely to be offered triple science pathways compared with middle and bottom sets, but evidence shows that Black students are less likely to be placed in these top sets in schools. This follows a more general trend of low teacher expectations towards students from Black Caribbean backgrounds in particular[1], despite equal potential. The issue of entry to Triple Science matters because Triple Science is often required by schools and colleges for progression to A Levels in the sciences – and then, ultimately, for access to further or higher education, and a career in STEM.

3. The implications of these groups being underrepresented in STEM

We think that fairer and more prominent representation of leading female scientists in relevant sections of the Science national curriculum would help to inspire pupils who might otherwise have disengaged from their STEM education. Positive role models can boost pupil engagement and attainment. Over time, these small changes may lead to more young women choosing to pursue STEM careers. We think this is important, as diversity is a catalyst for innovation – yet women comprise just a quarter of the UK STEM workforce.

Laura Katan, a Teach First-trained maths teacher in Haringey, London, told us that: “It takes examples of role models for them to understand [that STEM careers are] an option for them.” Laura has introduced female role models into lessons: “We’ve talked about the women who were involved with developing GPS, and those who changed facial recognition technologies to recognise black people. Girls need to understand that there are plenty of ways they can have an impact on the modern world.”

We also strongly believe that more equitable ethnic representation in the STEM teaching workforce would improve pupil attainment, as there is robust evidence that the presence of teachers from the same ethnic background’s boosts ethnic minority students’ confidence and engagement. It is important to stress that representation is not a zero-sum game between different groups. We think that if enacted, the proposals that we outline in Section 5 could raise standards and outcomes for all young people.

4. What has been done to address underrepresentation of particular groups in STEM

We want to play our part in redressing the issues that we have identified. That is why we recently launched a two-year partnership with Mission 44, a foundation set up by Formula One world champion Sir Lewis Hamilton. The aim of this partnership is to support the recruitment and training of 150 Black STEM teachers to work in schools serving disadvantaged communities in England. Through this partnership, Mission 44 and Teach First will develop and run taster programmes, mentorship programmes and marketing campaigns, as well as commission research and host networking events. We will also be evaluating a range of approaches that will be designed to improve the recruitment of Black STEM teachers. We will be happy to share our findings with the Select Committee in due course.

5. What could and should be done by the UK Government to address the issues identified

Gender:

• Solution 1: Increasing female representation in the science curriculum.

We support the Department for Education’s decision to give schools a break from major changes to the national curriculum. However, there are other ways that representation could be improved in the short term. We would like the government to launch a curriculum fund that is designed to develop resources that include more women in STEM teaching. These resources could be distributed to all schools to give them easy access to high-quality material that supports the delivery of the national curriculum whilst also showcasing more examples of women in STEM. Exam boards should also look to include more women from all backgrounds when they update their subject specifications, within the current parameters of national curriculum content.

• Solution 2: Ensure that every single school, especially those in disadvantaged areas, has access to excellent STEM teachers.

If we want to have a high-skilled, STEM-literate workforce, we must invest in and support STEM teachers. We welcome the government’s recent announcement to trial cash incentives for early career maths and physics teachers. However, this intervention will not be sufficient to tackle the STEM teacher shortage, which is even more acute in schools that serve disadvantaged areas. We think the £30,000 teacher starting salary uplift, announced in the Autumn 2021 budget, should be brought forward to September 2022. We also think that it is imperative that this uplift is fully funded by government, and not drawn from existing budgets.

• Solution 3: Invest in careers education in primary schools to tackle stereotyping.

Opening STEM subjects up to girls starts long before they choose their A-level subjects. A report published by Teach First and Education and Employers in 2019 highlighted just how persistent gender stereotypes are, and how early they solidify. It reported that children as young as four already exhibit gender stereotyping, so it essential that conversations about career opportunities start early. A survey of 500 primary school teachers found that 90% thought that career-related learning, supported by employers, could help to challenge gendered stereotypes about STEM subjects and jobs. Primary schools should be supported by the government to implement integrated, age-appropriate careers learning that shows pupils that their background or gender should not act as a barrier to them pursuing a career in STEM.

Ethnicity:

• Solution 1: Support schools to implement fair and unbiased recruitment practices.
  We think that DfE officials should run a pilot in which they partner with the relevant employees of a large Multi Academy Trust to review, revamp and debias their HR processes. The starting point should be a data audit; understand what the state of play is by conducting a survey that collects anonymised diversity data on staff’s role, race, gender, sexuality, disability, and socio-economic background. Then review how teaching jobs are advertised and interviews are conducted and enact policies to remove any bias. Pair this with positive action policies, such as referring high-performing staff from underrepresented backgrounds for promotion opportunities, or by piloting a development programme for aspiring leaders. The DfE should quantitatively evaluate the impact of this project after an appropriate amount of time and publish the findings as a report with recommendations on best practice.
• Solution 2: Enact positive action programmes and explore the efficacy of incentives.

The Department for Education should create and fund a development programme for aspiring BAME leaders, building on the successes of the Civil Service Positive Action Pathway and other accelerated development schemes. We note with interest that Welsh government has decided to introduce financial incentives to help recruit more teachers from ethnic minority backgrounds. The DfE should conduct an independent analysis of this policy’s impact.

(January 2022)