Dr. Ruth Freeman:

I think I do and I think it is really welcome that some of the conversation is moving even to the early years curriculum because that is where this begins. Education does not exist in a vacuum so any initiatives that sit around the formal education system and are supported to bring in parents and guardians are very welcome. We cannot ask teachers to do everything. It is less important that children are naming subjects they are learning but that they become comfortable with the principles and this idea of inquiry-based learning, that we are fostering curiosity, and that we are linking that to relevant topics in the world around them. It is important we support teachers to do that and that teachers understand the impact of how they are talking to children. For children under the age of ten there is no evidence to suggest that boys have innate abilities at spatial awareness or construction projects so we need to make sure teachers know that and that they are encouraging children equally. Some of that can be done through partnership with teacher training colleges. There are excellent programmes now such as student-teacher internships where teachers get the opportunity to go out to industry. There are lots of programmes and we need to keep supporting teachers and reinforcing that message across the board but also reaching out to parents and guardians.