Nick Isles (29 May 2025)
The Sunday Times article of 25th May 2025 on teachers striking because of poor pupil behaviour Good Children Pay the Price did not specify the genders of the children described as ‘feral’ who were roaming the corridors of the school described in the article. My guess is that many of them would be boys. And our evidence shows that boys are struggling at school.
There is a clear gender attainment gap throughout the education system which starts from early years and through to higher education, a gap that has existed for thirty years or more. The table below illustrates this for the latest GCSE data in England.
Table: GCSEs (Key Stage 4 / Level 2)
| Measure | Boys | Girls |
| GCSEs (Key Stage 4 / Level 2) | ||
| GCSEs (Grade 5): 5+ including English and Maths (males, England) | 2023/24: 43.6% 2018/19: 40.0% | 2023/24: 48.3% 2018/19: 46.6% |
| Progress 8 score (males, England) | 2023/24: -0.15 | 2023/24: +0.09 |
The Progress 8 scores for boys show, by being negative, that they are doing worse than expected from when they entered secondary education. Noticeably, the girls’ figure is positive (+0.09) which shows the opposite.
In the UK, boys often begin to experience disillusionment with school during key transitional periods, notably around ages 11 and 14. A significant decline in school enjoyment and engagement is observed during the move from primary to secondary school. A study by the Research Commission on Engagement and Lead Indicators (RCELI) found that pupils’ enjoyment scores dropped from 6.0 in Year 6 to 3.2 by Year 8. This decline is particularly pronounced among pupils eligible for free school meals, who reported lower levels of trust and belonging compared to their peers. (The Independent, The Guardian)
Additionally, many boys enter secondary school with lower literacy skills, which can hinder their ability to engage with the curriculum and lead to further disengagement. (Hansard)
Disengagement tends to increase during the mid-secondary years. A longitudinal study tracking boys aged 13 to 16 found that the proportion of students classified as ‘disengaged’ rose from 12% in Year 9 to 20% in Year 11. These students often exhibited negative attitudes towards school, higher rates of truancy, and lower academic aspirations. (The Guardian, Digital Education Resource Archive)
So if boys are becoming disengaged from as young as 10-11 years old what should be done? If school isn’t working for a large minority of boys we need to think very hard about how we educate boys and what it is we offer them. The lack of male teachers as role models is one under researched area where more evidence is required. If, as seems possible, more male role models might help boys in educational establishments then that is a factor that needs to be urgently addressed by government. Pay might be a factor here but not the only one.
Is it that what we are asking many young people to learn simply bores them? They want to learn but perhaps not necessarily the curriculum prescribed for them? Many young men thrive when they can study what it is they are interested in. Asking our children to matriculate twice at 16 and then 18 wastes years when they could begin to explore other areas of interest to them at a younger age.
There are solutions but these will require radical reform of our whole education system. This is something the CPRMB intends to address in the future. However early intervention, more diverse teaching practices, challenging harmful gender norms and providing positive role models are all partial solutions to a growing challenge. Opening up further education options at a younger age is also critical to keeping many young men engaged in learning.