Creating Value In Schools
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What we have uncovered is stark. Boys are struggling in education, more likely to take their own lives, less likely to get into stable work, and far more likely to be caught up in crime. The numbers don’t lie – something has shifted, and we cannot ignore it any longer. Centre for Social Justice, Lost Boys report (page 4)
The Netflix drama Adolescence has hugely raised awareness of such issues. The CSJ report is the start of an investigation into what’s happening for boys, why they’re struggling, and ways to help.
The CSJ’s Lost Boys report looks at six areas of life: employment, education, families and fathers, crime, health, and technology and pornography.
Challenges or findings across these areas include:
In its Plan for Change, the government set a target of 75% of children being ‘school ready’ at the end of the early years foundation stage. The most recent figures put current achievement at 67%.
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What is ‘school readiness’? The ‘Plan for Change’ defines school readiness as reaching ‘a good level of development in the early years foundation stage assessment’. A ‘good level’ means that a child is at the expected level for the 12 early learning goals within the 5 areas of learning relating to: communication and language; personal, social and emotional development; physical development; literacy; and mathematics. (Definition from Early years foundation stage profile results) |
But when the 67% figure is broken down by gender, we find that 75% of girls are school ready, compared to 60% of boys.
This gap has a lasting impact: ‘Failing to reach the expected standards in the early years increases the likelihood that a child will not pass English at a later stage’ (Lost Boys, page 19).
The government has a challenge on its hands if it’s to reach that 75% target. What could help the boys get there? Or is it the school readiness measure itself that needs to be rethought?
Boys are also behind at KS2. Based on the most recent test data:
At GCSE, boys on average achieve half a grade lower than girls across every subject.
Boys' interest in reading is plummeting faster than girls. The National Literacy Trust’s 2024 annual review found that 40.5% of girls agreed that they enjoyed reading in their free time, compared to 28.2% of boys (page 20).
How can reading compete against the allure of screens and smartphones?
Girls are outperforming boys in both A levels and the new T levels. In the latest T level results, girls achieved a 95% pass rate, vs 84% of boys. Girls were twice as likely to get a distinction.
The report questions the need for a grade 4 in English and maths GCSE for T level entry. Is this really necessary for every subject? ‘The rigid necessity for a grade 4 has the potential to set children up to fail.’ (Page 22)
Boys are twice as likely to be excluded as girls. This worsens when disadvantage is taken into account.
In the year 2022/23, disadvantaged boys were almost five times more likely to be excluded than non-disadvantaged boys (0.08 to 0.38). Similarly, disadvantaged girls were over six times more likely to be excluded compared to non-disadvantaged girls (0.03 to 0.19). (Page 30)
The Netflix drama Adolescence has brought the challenges faced by boys to international attention. One of the areas it has uncovered is around the world of incels and the use of emojis for more sinister purposes of expression.
Amit Kalley has kindly given us permission to share his periodic table of emojis and accompanying guidance for parents. For more context and guidance, you can follow Amit on LinkedIn, or check out his website, For Working Parents.
