The Royal Society is a self-governing Fellowship of many of the world’s most distinguished scientists drawn from all areas of science, engineering, and medicine. The Society’s fundamental purpose, as it has been since its foundation in 1660, is to recognise, promote, and support excellence in science and to encourage the development and use of science for the benefit of humanity.

The aim of the Society’s schools’ engagement programme is to ensure that students age 5 to 18 are able to develop key STEM skills for broader future career choices. Careers are becoming more flexible and students entering the workplace need to have a broader range of skills that encompass new and developing technologies. By supporting the teaching workforce in schools and colleges across the UK, the Schools Engagement programme aims to support and promote the development of three key sets of STEM skills: experimental science, problem-solving and data skills.