STEM experts give evidence about secondary education system

The House of Lords Education for 11-16 Year Olds Committee will continue its inquiry into the challenges and opportunities faced by the secondary education system in England.

The committee will hear about the curriculum, assessment and teacher recruitment and retention in the secondary education system from personal bodies representing STEM subjects.

The session can be followed live on Parliament TV or in-person in Committee Room 3, Palace of Westminster on 27 April from 11.15am.

Giving evidence will be: 

• Julia Adamson, managing director, Education and Public Benefit, BCS, The Charted Institute for IT
  
• Dr Hilary Leevers, chief executive of EngineeringUK
  
• Charles Tracy OBE, senior executive advisor for Learning and Skills, Institute of Physics

Questions the committee are likely to ask include:

• Do the 11-16 curriculum and the qualifications available in this phase sufficiently value your subject and effectively balance knowledge acquisition and practical application?

•   Are the current GCSEs an appropriate way of assessing knowledge and skills in your subject, and if not, what other assessment methods would you recommend? 

• To what extent is your subject affected by challenges in teacher recruitment and retention, and what could be done to address these issues?

• How will technology shape your sector in the future?

The committee’s call for evidence for the inquiry is open until 30 April. Details about how to submit evidence are available on their website. The committee is scheduled to report its findings in November 2023.