Gap increasing between boys and girls

Schools need to focus on improving boys’ literacy skills, says new report

Schools need to focus on improving boys’ literacy skills in order to close the gap between boys’ and girls’ attainment levels, says a report published yesterday by Estyn, the education and training inspectorate.

Inspection reports for 2005-2007 show that girls’ results are significantly better than boys’ in just over 30 per cent of primary schools, whereas boys perform better than girls in only six per cent.

‘Schools in Wales have achieved a great deal over the last two decades and children’ attainment levels have improved considerably. At the same time, improvements in the attainment of girls have outpaced those of boys in almost all subjects in the National Curriculum’, says Dr Bill Maxwell, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education and Training in Wales.

The report claims that because more boys have trouble with literacy than girls, they also experience problems in accessing the wider curriculum. This affects progress not only in subjects that are highly language-based, such as Welsh or English and history, but across the whole curriculum.

Another factor which the report says can affect boys’ learning is negative peer pressure. For some boys there is tension between being good at school and gaining status with their peer group. Boys are more prone to show off and less likely to follow instructions relating to what they do and how they might do it to best effect.

Estyn’s report recommends that schools need to make better use of learning, teaching and assessment approaches that appeal more particularly to boys. These can include increasing opportunities for discussion, more competitive activities, and using a wider variety of learning opportunities including using ICT, and homework and study skills clubs.

A small number of schools have been successful in significantly raising boys’ attainment levels over a relatively short period of time. They have made progress by promoting positive values and behaviours, challenge stereotypical attitudes of masculinity, and giving boys more opportunities to exercise control, responsibility and choice.

A frequent phrase used by schools who had been successful in raising boys’ attainment was that they set out to ‘make learning and achievement ‘cool’ for boys. They cited mentoring schemes in promoting the value of academic success among boys. This is especially the case when it also involves people from outside the school environment, for example local business people or sportsmen and women, to whom boys can often relate better.

To read a full copy of the inspection visit Estyn’s website at www.estyn.gov.uk