Government figures show poor science and maths A-level trends

Statistics find hundreds of schools failing to enter students into Stem A-level subjects

Hundreds of schools and colleges are failing to enter any pupils for science and maths A-levels, according to new data released by the Department for Education.

Official figures also found that the likelihood of a teenager studying one of these key subjects varies depending on where they live, with youngsters in London, along with the East Midlands and South West, more likely to take the subjects.

The data has been published by the Department for Education (DfE) for the first time as part of a government bid to encourage young people, particularly girls, to take science and maths past the age of 16. 

It reveals that 79 institutions entered no pupils for maths A-levels in 2012/13, and an extra 892 entered no pupils in further maths.

No student took A-level biology at 161 schools and colleges, while at 217 none took chemistry and at 306 no pupils studied physics past the age of 16.

A total of 52 institutions did not enter pupils for any of these five subjects at A-level.

The data also revealed a continuing gender divide in A-level Stem subjects, with boys more likely to study maths and science at A-levels, apart from biology, which remains more popular with girls.

The largest gender gap was shown to be in physics, with 19.2% of boys studying the subject at A-level, compared to 3.6% of girls, with maths A-levels following close behind with more than a third (35%) of boys and less than a fifth (18.4%) of girls choosing to study it.

London was shown to have the highest proportion of sixth-formers studying maths, further maths and chemistry in 2012/13. It also had the highest percentage of A-level biology students, closely followed by the South West and East Midlands.

The South West had the highest proportion of physics students, followed by the South East and East Midlands.

A further breakdown revealed that Rutland (15.8%), Trafford (9.6%) and Reading (9.2%) have the highest proportion of girls studying physics A-level, while at the other end of the scale, in Knowsley, there are no pupils taking maths A-level and no girls taking physics.

Education minister Nick Gibb said: “We will work with successful schools and colleges so they share their knowledge and teaching methods with schools where the proportion of studying these subjects is low.

“Encouraging more young people to study these subjects is part of our long-term economic plan to build a more prosperous future for Britain.”