STEM careers (secondary schools)
We have STEM careers-specific questions throughout this article, but you may also want to work with your careers link governor to scrutinise your provision together.
What is STEM?
STEM stands for science, technology, engineering and maths, but includes subjects such as design and technology (D&T) and computing/ICT.
Your role
Use these questions to challenge provision across all STEM subjects in your school.
If STEM is a focus for your school, you might find this on your full governing board/committee meeting agenda, so use these questions to help you prepare.
If you're the link governor for STEM, you can take a look at this article about the role of the STEM link governor.
Adapt the questions to suit your context
Ask your STEM subject leaders/department heads, or school/trust leaders the questions below. You don't need to ask all these questions in 1 go, so choose the questions most relevant to the focus of your discussion.
Subject-specific questions to ask
D&T
Primary
Secondary
Science
Primary
Secondary
Maths
Primary
Secondary
Computing/ICT
Primary
Secondary
General questions to ask
You don’t need to (and shouldn’t) ask all these questions in 1 go. Choose and adapt the ones most relevant to the purpose of your meeting, the responsibilities of the staff member you're meeting with and the context of your school/trust:
- Are there opportunities to apply for additional funding to support innovative projects and resources?
- How do you address gender and diversity gaps in STEM?
- How do you support pupils from underrepresented groups?
- What initiatives are in place to encourage diversity and inclusion in STEM?
- What strategies are in place to support pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in STEM subjects?
- Do you have enough time allocated to carry out your leadership responsibilities?
- Do subject leaders of STEM subjects get a chance to work together?
- If there are staff with experience in STEM industries, how is their experience used to develop knowledge of STEM careers?
- What extracurricular STEM activities and programmes are offered?
- Are there any partnerships with local businesses, universities, or science organisations?
- What have these partnerships/collaborations led to?
- What are the participation rates and outcomes of these activities?
- How do you support Early Career Teachers (ECTs)/trainee teachers with STEM teaching?
- How do you incorporate real-world application and problem-solving into STEM lessons?
- What types of projects or activities help pupils see the relevance of STEM in everyday life and future careers?
- How do you manage and allocate resources and funding for STEM within the school/trust?
- How do you make sure that you have the necessary resources to deliver high-quality STEM education?
- How do you make sure that teachers are up-to-date with the latest developments and innovations in STEM education?
- How do you assess and continuously improve the quality of STEM education?
- What metrics and processes do you use to monitor the effectiveness of our STEM programmes?
- How do you gather and act on feedback from pupils, parents/carers, industry partners, and other key stakeholders?
- How are you incorporating sustainability and environmental issues into the STEM curriculum?
- What initiatives are in place to teach pupils about sustainability, climate change, and environmental science?
- How do you engage pupils in projects that address real-world environmental challenges?
- What outreach activities, information sessions, or events are organised to raise awareness of STEM opportunities?
- How do you highlight role models and success stories in STEM to inspire our pupils?
Secondary-specific general questions
Questions for MATs
These are examples of questions to ask those responsible for STEM at a trust level – this could be a meeting with the CEO, the central person in charge of curriculum delivery or school improvement, or a STEM co-ordinator if you trust has STEM as a priority.
Adapt these questions to fit your context and the responsibilities of the person you're meeting:
- How is the STEM curriculum aligned across all schools within the trust?
- What measures are in place to ensure consistency in STEM education across all schools?
- How do you support schools in sharing best practices and resources?
- What STEM training and development opportunities are available for teachers across the trust?
- How do you make sure that teachers in all schools have access to high-quality CPD in STEM subjects?
- Are there trust-wide initiatives or programmes to enhance STEM teaching?
- How do you measure and track STEM performance and outcomes across the trust?
- What metrics do you use to evaluate the effectiveness of our STEM programmes?
- How do you compare performance data between schools to identify areas for improvement?
- What are the strategies place for promoting STEM careers and pathways across the trust?
- How do you make sure that pupils in all schools have access to information and guidance about STEM careers?
- Are there trust-wide events/programmes that promote STEM careers to pupils?
- How do you foster collaboration and partnerships with external STEM organisations?
- What partnerships do you have with local businesses, higher education institutions and research organisations?
- How do these partnerships enhance STEM learning opportunities across the trust?
- How do you manage and allocate STEM resources and funding across the trust?
- How do you make sure that all schools have the necessary resources to deliver high-quality STEM education?
- Are there centralised procurement/funding strategies to maximise efficiency and impact?
Downloadable versions
They include the questions above, plus space for you to take notes. Download the version for your school type, then remove the questions you don’t need to make it your own:
Next steps
Remember, asking good questions isn't the only way you can monitor the STEM provision in your school.
Read more about:
- The role of the STEM link governor
- How to make STEM a strategic priority in your school/trust
- Statutory requirements for careers provision in secondary schools