Girls in STEM

Cheltenham Ladies' College pioneered science teaching for girls in the late 1800s, despite objections from many parents and members of the community that the subject was 'unladylike' and inappropriate. Since then, we have continued to be at the forefront of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) opportunities for girls and young women, enabling them to pursue careers in a wide range of fields.

For over 160 years our Guild members across the world have made many outstanding contributions to STEM fields; from Dame Louisa Aldrich-Blake, who became the first female Master of Surgery in 1895, to Dame Mary Archer DBE, leading scientist and Chair of the Science Museum Group. 

Today, we continue to promote these opportunities for our girls and recent leavers. In 2015, we opened a new Engineering Enterprise and Technology (EET) Department, meaning that all girls in Lower College now study Engineering from the age of 11.

According to WISE, women make up 24% of the core-STEM workforce. At College, around a third of our girls go on to study STEM subjects at university each year.

In 2021, the most popular STEM courses pursued by our leavers were Medicine / Biomedical Sciences, Psychology, Engineering / Mechanical Engineering, Biochemistry and Natural Sciences. Other STEM subjects chosen by our leavers included courses in Mathematics and Data Science, Physics with Astrophysics, Computer Science, and many more.

Our 2021 leavers went on to study STEM subjects at more than 20 different universities across the world. Popular university destinations for girls going on to study STEM subjects were Bristol, UCL, Imperial, KCL, Exeter, Cambridge and St Andrews.

Below are just a few of the inspirational Guild members (in alphabetical order) who, over the last 160 years, have been leaders in STEM fields.