Press Release
1 May 2024
Schools, trusts and teachers urged to submit evidence
to Parliament on improving boys’ education
Nick Fletcher MP (Don Valley), a member of the Education Select Committee, is urging schools, academy trusts, headteachers, teachers and educationalists to submit evidence to the Committee’s new inquiry into “Boys’ attainment and engagement in education”.
The inquiry is looking into reasons why boys consistently underperform compared with girls in terms of their attainment. This is across all age groups and importantly the committee wants to examine ways to improve outcomes.
The MP has led debates and reports on boys’ education in Parliament, based on his role as Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Issues Affecting Men and Boys. These have centred on urging the Government and the education community to recognise and then address the relative underperformance of boys. This underperformance is found from early years’ through to SATS, GCSEs, A Levels, vocational education and higher education (see core statistics in Notes to Editors).
The inquiry, which closes for submissions on 17 May 2024, will hold evidence sessions with education leaders and a government minister before the summer.
Nick Fletcher MP, said: “There is clearly an issue with the relative underperformance of boys in our schools because they are behind girls at every stage. There is no reason they should be. We need to get to the bottom of why this is the case and then find out what measures can be put in place to address it. We cannot keep burying our heads in the sand and pretend it is not happening and that it is not a problem.
“We know some schools have boosted boys’ performance and I suspect there are many more also. I really want as many teaching professionals, educationalists and organisations within our education community to get behind this. Please submit your views on the causes and solutions. We owe it to our boys to help them do better.”
This quote below is from the Committee Chairman that appeared in the Committee’s press release is:
Education Committee Chair, Robin Walker MP, said:
“Evidence has consistently shown that half the children in this country do worse at school than the other. What divides them is their gender. My Committee wants to find out why it is that boys have historically underperformed compared with girls. Given the Government’s recent focus on lifelong learning, it is also concerning that growing numbers of young men are dropping out of education and becoming NEET.
“There are some state schools where there is little difference between the genders, and others where the discrepancy is more stark. In this inquiry we will look at every set of stakeholders in the system to investigate how methods of teaching or elements of the curriculum could be improved to raise the attainment of boys and keep them engaged with their education, and without bringing down the attainment of girls.”
Notes to Editors
- Information can be found about the inquiry on “Boys’ attainment and engagement in education”.
https://committees.parliament.uk/work/8383/boys-attainment-and-engagement-in-education/
- Nick Fletcher MP:
Boys’ Education Debate (House of Commons, 5 March 2024): https://tinyurl.com/4594wz2s
APPG on Issues Affecting Men and Boys’ report “Boys’ Educational Underachievement”
https://equi-law.uk/inquiry-4-boys-edu-underachievement
- Twelve Facts on boys’ education:
- 467,000 young men are Not in Education, Employment and Training with 195,000 being unemployed (Oct to Dec 23). The respective figures for women are 384,000 and 98,000.
- 4,677 boys and 1,818 girls were excluded in the 2021/22 academic year.
- In reading, writing and maths SATS (2023), 56% of boys met the required combined standard (63% girls).
- 43% of boys receive GCSEs in English and Maths (47.2% girls).
- 73.1% of young men secured C and above passes in the August 2023 A level results (77.4% women).
- 33,900 fewer 18-year-old UK boys started university in September 2023 than girls of the same age.
- Boys are behind girls at T Levels and vocational qualification results.
- Only 24% of teachers are male (2022/23), with 30% of primary schools having no male teachers at all.
- Men are joining the main professions (bar accountancy and engineering) at lower rates than girls.
- 41% of male and female sixth formers have been told in school lessons that young men are a problem for society.
- 56% of 2024 university applications were from women (44% men) and the gap is 37,620 (27%).
- 50% more 18 year-old girls from the poorest areas applied to university than boys of the same age.
Journalists requiring further information should contact Nick Fletcher MP on: [email protected]
