IOP responds to Science and Technology Committee’s Diversity and Inclusion in STEM report

Commenting on the release of the Science and Technology Committee’s Diversity and Inclusion in STEM report today, IOP Deputy Chief Executive Rachel Youngman said:

“It is good to see the Commons Science and Technology Committee making such a strong commitment to diversity and inclusion in STEM and to action that “truly moves the dial”- but while there is a lot that is good in this report, there are some real missed opportunities.

“We welcome the recognition of the need for better data collection and the call for universal access to specialist teachers of physics in schools - but the failure to recommend mandatory whole school equity plans is a major disappointment.   

“Whole school equity approaches, where the whole school provides an inclusive, supportive environment for all its students, are exactly one of the affordable, practical solutions the committee says it wants to see and have been demonstrated to work.

“We need to provide the right learning environment for students and the right working environment for teaching staff and researchers. The IOP will continue to make the case for real world solutions, which make a tangible difference to young people from underrepresented groups - young people currently denied the opportunity to help change the world they live in.” 

Read the IOP's full assessment of the Diversity and Inclusion in STEM report

Download full assessment (PDF, 145KB)

• Find out more about the Diversity and Inclusion in STEM inquiry
• Read the written evidence submitted by the Institute of Physics
• View IOP Deputy Chief Executive Rachel Youngman's oral evidence session (18 May 2022, starting at 11.17am)
• Read the transcript of the evidence session (from page 33)
• Contact [email protected] for more information