Over 2024-2025, we have been carrying out a long-term project which we're excited to share. Thanks to an internal grant from Liverpool John Moores University to review our website.
We are a team committed to breaking down the barriers to science, maths, engineering and technology (STEM) subjects. We want to make sure that our site gives everyone, from any background, a space to feel a sense of belonging, inclusion and to learn!
With this in mind, we set about finding out where we can be better. We know there is always more to know and more to do. We hope the learning and advice we have gained through this process will help us to keep making a better online space for everyone!
Project Goals:
- Promote Inclusivity: Create a space that welcomes and supports students and educators from all backgrounds, making them feel represented and valued in STEM subjects.
- Break Down Barriers: Find ways to lower barriers to STEM. Things that lead to the underrepresentation of different groups. This may include cultural stereotypes, lack of access to resources, and educational inequities.
- Foster Interest and Confidence: Inspire and build students' confidence by showcasing role models from different backgrounds. We also need to provide students with engaging, accessible content.
- Enhance Educational Equity: Ensure that all students, no matter what their background, have access to high-quality STEM education and resources.
- Promote Awareness: Discuss the importance of diversity in STEM. It helps in creation, problem-solving, and the overall progress of these fields.
Duration:
We worked on the audit for 1 year (September 2024 - September 2025).
Acting on the advice will be an ongoing process. We hope to have achieved most of the actions we've made by the end of 2026.
Target audience:
Every student and educator who visits our website!
Funders and partners:
The Schools’ Observatory and Liverpool John Moores University
Project Summary:
This project had several different parts:
- External Reviews
We paid for 4 external expert reviews of the website to look at our accessibility and inclusivity. Each gave a set of suggestions. We also learned about areas of good practice on the website, which we can share with others.
The reviews were carried out by:
- The Power of Words
We used special software (CDPIR) on all our pages to check the language used. This software looked through our content and told us how tricky the wording was for speakers of English as an additional language. This added to our normal system of writing all our content using the Flesch Reading Ease method. It helps us create content that's clear and simple for everyone!
- Action Learning Set on Anti-Prejudice Practice
The team and a set of project stakeholders took part in a year-long facilitated Action Learning Set to explore challenges and best practices in this area. Survi Patel provided our expert facilitation.
- Youth Voice Focus Group
Our goal is to run a short focus group session with local community groups to include their voices. We will get their opinion on what makes an online space inclusive and gives a sense of belonging. We got ethics approval from the university for this. We plan to carry this out by the spring of 2026.
Impact:
- We have a broad set of actions which have come from the learning and advice which we have gathered over the past year.
- We have grown as a team in this space. We are active advocates of underserved people and will champion them in this space.
- We hope you find this online space inclusive and welcoming. We are always seeking to be better. If you have tips for us, please contact us at SchoolsObs@ljmu.ac.uk
Highlights:
- We have launched a new Cultural section on our Learn pages
- We have continued to back diversity among our Career Heroes and raised the number of heroes from the Global South
- We have grown our History section to include the stories of many more people from outside of Europe
Project Reports:
If you would like more detail about this project then you can look at the following documents:
- DocumentEDI_Grant_Report_Full.docx (47.4 KB)Credit
- DocumentEDI_Grant_Report_Summary.docx (42.62 KB)Credit
We are still working through the tasks we have made and the learning we have gained. We are dedicated to always making progress—the journey will not end. This funding has given us a great start and a path to follow.
