Education · Technology · Engagement
Women in STEM Secondary School Project
Increasing the visibility of women in technology within school
Welling School
Context / Challenge
A Women in STEM project I developed at Welling School to increase the visibility of women working in technology and encourage more girls to consider Computer Science.
I noticed that fewer girls were choosing Computer Science and that there was limited visibility of women working within technology around the school.
I wanted to create something that went beyond regular lessons and gave students more opportunities to see themselves represented within the subject.
Insight
I was teaching Computer Science at Welling School at the time and could see the difference in engagement between male and female students.
Rather than treating this only as a classroom issue, I developed a wider project focused on representation, exposure and participation.
Strategy
The project included a two week Women in STEM programme combining workshops, team activities and real world examples of women working across technology.
I also created a permanent Women in Tech display within the school so that representation continued beyond the programme itself.
Idea
Execution
I developed and led the project alongside my teaching responsibilities.
This included planning the programme, developing activities and resources, coordinating delivery and creating the permanent Women in Tech display.
I focused on making the subject feel more relevant and visible rather than simply telling students that more girls should study Computer Science.
The programme combined practical activities with examples of women working in technology, giving students opportunities to explore the subject outside the normal lesson format.
I also wanted the work to remain visible after the programme ended, which led to the permanent display being created within the school.
- Planning a two week Women in STEM programme
- Developing workshops and group activities
- Introducing students to real world examples of women working in technology
- Creating supporting learning resources
- Coordinating the programme alongside normal curriculum delivery
- Creating a permanent Women in Tech display for the school
- Monitoring subsequent Computer Science subject choices
- Two week Women in STEM programme
- Workshops and student activities
- Supporting educational resources
- Permanent Women in Tech display
- A repeatable approach to promoting female participation in Computer Science
Impact
The programme contributed to a 5% increase in girls choosing Computer Science.
It also created a permanent visual presence for women in technology within the school rather than limiting the conversation to a single event or lesson.
The project showed me that changing engagement often requires more than changing the content being delivered.
Representation, timing and how an opportunity is presented can all influence whether someone feels that a subject is relevant to them.
It also showed me how a relatively small project can create a measurable outcome when it responds to a specific problem.