Scholarship Success for Taqwa

A brand new scholarship programme has given a prestigious award to Taqwa Elforjani, a Year 11 student at Allerton Grange.

The STEM Skills Fund (SSF) is a registered charity that aims to increase the number of girls that continue to study maths and physics beyond GCSE. Nationally, girls are very under-represented in these areas at A Level; even girls who achieve top grades in physics and maths are 15% less likely to study maths and 20% less likely to study physics than boys.

Taqwa is on track to achieve a grade 7 in maths and a grade 8 in physics at GCSE this summer; she was delighted to be selected for the very first SSF scholarship programme specifically aimed at girls and intends to study maths at A Level. The Maths and Physics Girls’ Scholarship means that Taqwa receives a bursary of £20 each week during the summer term to support her study for the next academic year.

Taqwa, who is interested in a career in medicine, said: “I didn’t even know there were scholarships for A Level students, so I was really surprised when I heard. Mrs Turner-Lindley applied for me; it’s good to know that my teachers are looking out for me and want me to do well. It makes me happy to think that I might inspire other girls to follow maths and engineering routes. If I can do it, anyone else can too.”

Mike Roper, Headteacher of Allerton Grange, said: “We are extremely proud of Taqwa for being selected for this award and we look forward to seeing her achievements at GCSE and A Level. It is important that all of our students have the opportunities to succeed; this new scholarship is a superb pathway to encourage girls into STEM subjects, where they have previously been under-represented.”