Children and young people from black Caribbean backgrounds are “acutely” underrepresented in the study of maths, science and technology in England at all levels of education, according to a report by MPs.
Fewer black Caribbean students studied triple science than students of any other background, the report said. It also highlighted the lack of diversity in the teaching workforce, pointing out that an additional 15,655 black teachers would be needed in order to bring teacher diversity in line with that of pupils.
The report by the Commons science and technology committee also looked at female underrepresentation in Stem subjects – science, technology, engineering and maths. Young women still make up only 13% of computing A-level students in England and 23% of physics.
It suggested the national curriculum in England should be updated to reflect greater diversity. It also called on Ofsted to report on the disparities in subject take-up and attainment across gender, ethnic and socioeconomic background as part of its inspection criteria.
The MPs’ report raised concerns about the lack of triple science GCSE provision – where pupils study three standalone GCSEs – in disadvantaged areas of England, where schools are less likely to have subject specialist teachers.
