STEM Contributors resource – 2025 update
12 February 2025
Ally Davies, Science Subject Advisor
In the December 2023 blog: STEM Contributors resource – recommendations and ideas for users, I wrote about our newly launched STEM Contributors resources. Just over a year on, we’ve made some significant updates to the current resource. In this blog, I’ll describe what we’ve done and explain the rationale.
What stays the same?
If you have used our STEM Contributors resource before (and also read my previous blog), then this section shows what may already be familiar to you.
- Our STEM Contributors resources are signposting resources. For each qualification, a spreadsheet links a diverse range of people and a wide range of roles to each section of the specification.
- For each contributor, we include a short biographical note, and a link to an external website that provides more detailed information about each person.
- Contributors are tagged to help you to include a diverse range of profiles in your lessons.
- By embedding examples of people and roles in your teaching, we think you can challenge existing negative stereotypes, and it can also help you to meet Gatsby Benchmark 4 for Good careers guidance.
At launch, our resources received great feedback, including this piece from colleagues on the ASE Inclusion in Science Project team:
“This is the resource that inclusive educators have been hoping for: a quick and easy way to link lessons to a diverse range of role models. We know how important it is for young people to see themselves in what they learn. And now it has just got a lot easier.” But we wanted to do even better.
What’s new?
- We have added several new profiles – for example, in the resources for Gateway Science, we have 74 new profiles for biology, 66 in chemistry and 74 in physics.
- Many of the profiles are now careers oriented, signposting to pages on sites such as Engineering UK’s Neon Futures, Gatsby’s Technicians – we make the difference, and RSC’s job profiles.
- The profiles also include many non-traditional routes into STEM and many roles that are STEM-related, and technical roles - as well as graduate STEM roles such as engineers, medics and academic researchers.
- of the new profiles include people who have not received prizes or awards for their great work.
By Easter of 2025, we hope to have updated all the resources for our biology, chemistry, physics and combined science qualifications.
Why did we update the resource?
To engage as many students as possible, it’s important to represent a wide range of roles and people. Some students may aspire to be (award winning) scientists, doctors or engineers. But to help all students to build their science capital, it’s important that they see a wide range of STEM-related roles.
There are many jobs that use the knowledge, skills and attributes developed in science lessons that don’t need a science degree or science A Levels. And at the same time, by building science capital and STEM identity, we know we are encouraging more students to consider STEM qualifications beyond GCSE.
Download the updated resources
There is a dedicated spreadsheet for each GCSE and for each A Level. Combined science is included within the sheets for each separate science.
If you have access to Teach Cambridge, you’ll find the resources on the subject page, under Teaching: Teaching delivery: Teaching and delivery guides: Equality, Diversity and Inclusion resources.
For ease of access, the resources are also available on our public website using the links below.
GCSE A – Gateway Science (updated December 2024)
GCSE B – Twenty First Science (updated December 2024)
A Level
What else can I do?
Read more about the Gatsby Benchmarks. Check out the ASE’s Inclusion in Science programme, or find out more about the IOP’s Limit Less campaign.
Please let us know what you think of our new resource. We’d love to hear how you’ve used it with your students, or how we could improve it.
Stay connected
If you have any questions, you can email us at science@ocr.org.uk, call us on 01223 553998 or message us at X (formerly Twitter) @OCR_science. You can also sign up to subject updates and receive information about resources and support.
If you are considering teaching any of our qualifications, use the expression of interest form to let us know, so that we can help you with more information.
About the author
After teaching physics and science for over 20 years, Ally provided and managed professional support for teachers (at Isaac Physics and for the Institute of Physics). He joined OCR in November 2021. He is committed to making science education more inclusive. In his spare time, he enjoys nature and the outdoors, walking, cycling, and gardening.
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