£132.5m plan to widen access to STEM clubs and enrichment across England
The government’s £132.5 million Every Child Can program will support access to STEM and engineering clubs alongside wider enrichment activities in schools and communities across England.
The UK government has announced a £132.5 million program to widen access to STEM clubs, engineering activities and other enrichment opportunities for children across England.
The Every Child Can program will fund activities delivered through schools and community organizations, including provision during weekends and school holidays. The government said the investment is intended to make enrichment a common entitlement rather than an opportunity limited by family income or location.
Schools and colleges will also receive a new Enrichment Framework covering five areas: life and future skills, including STEM; civic engagement; arts and culture; nature, outdoor and adventure activities; and sport and physical activity.
Activities could include engineering clubs, music groups, debating societies and sports clubs. The benchmarks are designed to help education providers build offers around the needs of their pupils and local communities.
Ofsted will consider a school’s enrichment provision when assessing personal development, while planned school profiles will give parents information about the activities available at individual schools. Further details on funding allocations, delivery and applications will be published later.
STEM included in new enrichment benchmarks
STEM sits within the life and future skills category of the government’s new framework, placing engineering and technical activities alongside wider preparation for employment and adult life.
The Department for Education said the benchmarks will give schools and colleges practical guidance on developing inclusive enrichment provision. The government plans to appoint ambassadors across the five categories to encourage participation and build support for activities.
A separate £22.5 million Enrichment Expansion Programme will invite 400 schools in some of England’s most deprived areas to test and develop provision aligned with the framework.
Those schools will be expected to shape their enrichment offers with pupils, while working toward the benchmarks covering STEM, civic engagement, culture, outdoor learning and physical activity.
The government is also reforming the national curriculum and reviewing performance measures that it says can restrict subject choice. Its wider plans include retaining a strong academic core while increasing access to creative, technical and practical learning.
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson says: "Every child should be able to enjoy sport and the creative arts, not just the lucky few.
"Whether it’s performing on stage, playing sport, exploring nature or getting involved in their community, these experiences build confidence, spark ambition and help young people discover what they are capable of.
"As the world around our children continues to move fast, investment is about making sure the childhood experiences we truly value can once again be for every young person, wherever they live."
Activities to run beyond the school day
Every Child Can will use funding from the Dormant Assets Scheme to support programs within schools and local communities, including weekend and holiday activities.
The program is structured around the same five categories as the Enrichment Framework, creating a shared model for activities delivered inside and outside formal education.
The government said it aims to halve the participation gap between children from richer and poorer families. It has not yet disclosed how the full £132.5 million will be divided between programs or when individual schools and community organizations will be able to apply.
The package responds to findings from the State of the Nation survey, which gathered responses from more than 14,000 young people. The government said participants wanted safe places to spend time, trusted adults, mental health support and better access to activities and opportunities.
The survey informed the 2025 National Youth Strategy, Youth Matters, which set out more than £500 million of investment over 10 years. That strategy included plans for up to 250 new or refurbished youth facilities, 50 Young Futures Hubs and support intended to connect 500,000 more young people with a trusted adult outside their home.
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy says: "Every child deserves the chance to find their spark through great art, sport, music, dance or drama, because arts and culture belong to all of us - not just a privileged few. A child who loves the arts shouldn’t have to be born into the right postcode to pursue it."
She adds: "That is why we are rebuilding opportunity in the classroom and in communities and ensuring every young person has something to do, somewhere to go, and someone who cares through our National Youth Strategy: Youth Matters."
Ofsted and school profiles to track provision
The government is adding enrichment to the information available about schools as it tries to make provision more visible to parents.
Ofsted will consider enrichment when assessing how schools support pupils’ personal development. New school profiles will show families what activities are available locally, although the government has not provided a publication date for the profiles.
The Department for Education will work with schools, colleges and organizations including the Enrichment for All Coalition to support implementation and assess the effect of enrichment on attendance, engagement, wellbeing and achievement.
The announcement forms part of a wider package that includes more than £1 billion for school sport over three years, £1.5 billion for cultural venues across England during the current parliament and more than £500 million attached to the National Youth Strategy.
The government is working with The National Lottery Community Fund to develop Every Child Can. Details covering the remaining funding, individual programs and the process for taking part are expected to be published as delivery plans are finalized.
