Encouraging Students from Disadvantaged Backgrounds to Study STEM Subjects

Schools are currently facing key challenges in recruiting and retaining STEM teachers, with 40% of them leaving the profession in the first 5 years of teaching. These gaps in employment hinders STEM provisions in schools, particularly for disadvantaged students who are underrepresented in the field.

Jodie McGeehan is a chemistry teacher and the Principal Teacher of STEM at St Andrew’s RC Secondary School. She has a passion for inspiring young people to be actively involved in STEM, helping them use their learning across multiple subject areas to understand the cross curricular applications of it. She was awarded a STEM Learning Award for Excellence in STEM Teaching (Secondary) and highly commended for STEM Leadership in Schools and Colleges.

In this video, McGeehan highlights the importance of whole-school buy-in when encouraging students to pursue STEM subjects as this creates the cross-curricular support many need. Building upon this she shares how the school has gained community support from parents, illustrating to them the transferable skills STEM presents for students to emphasise how all students can benefit from the subjects.

Schools are currently facing recruitment and retainment issues for STEM leaders, hindering the access disadvantaged students have to the subjects. In this video, Jodie McGeehan, the Principal Teacher of STEM at ST Andrew’s RC Secondary, highlights how a whole school and community support of STEM subjects has helped less advantaged students access and pursue STEM.