Blog: Curriculum review is golden opportunity for STEM education

The independent Curriculum and Assessment Review by a panel of 12 experts led by Professor Becky Francis CBE, an expert in education policy and social equality, is a fantastic opportunity to give STEM education the focus it desperately needs. 

Spanning all school years in England, the review is looking closely at the key challenges to attainment for young people, and the barriers which hold children back from the opportunities and life chances they deserve, particularly those who are socioeconomically disadvantaged, or with special educational needs or disabilities (SEND).  

Although academies for example do not have to follow the National Curriculum, most schools do so, and the older students are, the more their education is driven by their assessments, including through the use of standard textbooks published by exam boards. We therefore see the review as an important opportunity to modernise and improve students’ experiences in schools and especially to increase their exposure to and interest in engineering and technology.

EngineeringUK co-led work on a response to the review with the Royal Academy of Engineering on behalf of the National Engineering Policy Centre which also includes all the Professional Engineering Institutions and the Engineering Council. At this stage, the review is looking for evidence of what needs to change.   

We want to see a modern education system that enables students to comprehend the science, engineering and technology behind global challenges, such as climate change, biodiversity loss and sustainable energy supply, enabling them to constructively engage with these issues. Students also need to develop the mathematical, digital and data skills to prepare them for the rapidly changing demands of an increasingly data-rich world.

We currently have some concerns about the framing of the review that we have raised with policy makers. Specifically, it rarely refers to science despite its status as a core subject, instead emphasising the importance of reading, writing and maths. Similarly, there is little STEM expertise on the review panel. The positioning of the review focuses on the needs of the individual students in their life and work, without balancing this with the need for the education system to enable the nation to meet its critical future workforce needs.

Our recent UK workforce report shows that around a fifth (19.2%) of the UK workforce - 6.3 million people - were working in an engineering and technology occupation in 2023. As well as having regular replacement needs, the sector is set to grow massively over the coming years and decades, not least to meet net zero targets. In order to meet these workforce needs, we must ensure that the curriculum and assessment regime gives STEM subjects the prominence they deserve and shapes teaching in a way that appeals to all students. Because careers provision is often curriculum linked, it’s vital areas of large and growing labour market need – like engineering and technology - are well represented in it.

Furthermore, we would like to see more thoughtfulness about the uptake of individual subjects by different demographic groups of students. More specifically, while young people with SEND or from more socially economically disadvantaged backgrounds face challenges in STEM and most subjects, girls are the most-under-represented groups in physics, computer science, maths, design and technology and vocational and technical routes into engineering. Not only does this limit our chances of meeting workforce needs and coming up with the best solutions to the most important problems, but it is a fundamental inequity given that engineering and technology roles are paid above average. We have identified a number of curriculum and assessment reforms which could improve the situation.  

Given the Government’s recognition of the importance of meeting engineering and technology workforce needs and easing the dependence on overseas workers, we remain optimistic that the review panel and Department for Education will appreciate the importance of responding to these considerations. 

Dr Hilary Leevers is CEO of EngineeringUK