A-Levels: STEM on the rise but teacher crisis deepens

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This year’s A-Levels saw a small jump in the numbers studying STEM subjects, but a shortage of teachers across technical disciplines could threaten these gains in coming years.

A-Levels

A total of 41 per cent of total A level entries were in STEM subjects (up slightly from 39 per cent in 2015 and 40 per cent in 2016). For girls, the figure remains static at 35 per cent, while 46 per cent of entries for boys were in STEM. As was widely reported, boys outscored girls in the overall results for the first time in 17 years.

Girls are better represented in biology (61.7 per cent), and there are more female entries in chemistry A-Levels for the first time since 2004. Gender splits in traditionally male-dominated subjects persist, however, with girls accounting for 21.5 per cent of physics and just 9.9 per cent of computing students. While overall participation in STEM is climbing, there is a continued shortage of teachers across technical subjects that could prove detrimental to plans for STEM expansion.

“The jobs of this generation will increasingly benefit from skills learnt through science and maths subjects: analysis, critical thinking and combining creativity with tech know-how,” said Dr Sarah Main, director of CaSE (Campaign for Science and Engineering).

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