Ms Fiona Longmuir:

Engagements with the Departments are still quite young. We are hoping to engage more with the Department. The Deputy's point about maths is well taken. Physics is perceived as being a maths-like subject, as the Deputy said. It is perceived as being an especially difficult subject. There is a lot of anxiety around maths in young people from a very young age. Maths and physics, relatedly, are seen as subjects people are either good at or not, unlike other subjects. They are not seen as subjects that students can learn and improve at. It is seen as innate but, of course, that is not true at all. People improve their maths skills all the time. The anxiety around it sometimes prevents others from doing so. It prevents them from engaging and thinking perhaps they could do it or give it a go. That is a very good point.