1. Evidence for informal science learning

7. One in four students studying STEM courses at English universities report that visits to museums or science centres were important or very important in influencing their choice of course. 6

11. During the school year, students from low socioeconomic status backgrounds make similar progress to those from high socioeconomic status backgrounds, but they fall behind during the summer. This indicates the importance of out-of- school experiences during summer break. 11