“Left the staff buzzing with ideas, an excellent inset on raising boys attainment without doubt!”
Sophie Banks , Headmistress, Eton End School
• Does your boys’ attainment fall below that of girls?
• Are your staff struggling to close the attainment gap?
• Do you want to get beyond the misconceptions behind boys’ lack of attainment?
• Will a menu of practical classroom strategies targeted at raising boys’ attainment and improving motivation for learning help your teachers?
Do Boys Underachieve?
The debate, about whether, and to what extent, boys under-achieve academically in English schools has been high profile since the early 1990s, and it is clear from national data that there is legitimate concern over the achievement levels of some boys throughout their schooling.
More boys than girls fail to achieve level 4 in English national tests at the end of key stage 2; rather more boys than girls fail to achieve the 5A*-C benchmark grades in GCSE examinations taken at 16+. These patterns of academic achievement are evident in most schools in England.
How can schools Raise Boys Attainment?
It is important that teachers are able to identify the reasons behind this trend and to go beyond the many myths surrounding the challenge. Initial research by Younger et al from the University of Cambridge has identified schools which have strategies in place which improve the academic achievement of boys without impacting negatively on girls’ performances. Many of these successful strategies are Pedagogic, Organisational & Socio-cultural.
This course draws upon current research and expertise to cut through the myths and offer practical classroom solutions to raising boys’ performance.
Benefits of The Course
- Understand what research tells us about the facts and misconceptions around boys’ attainment
- Identify the key issues and focuses for your school
- Gain practical strategies and tools that you can use immediately on returning to school
- Be clear about your next steps in improving boys’ attainment in your school
This INSET is would be ideal as a Keynote speech at an educational conference or as talk for parents.
INSET Outline
In the classroom
- Issues and opportunities around teaching boys
- Strategies and misconceptions
- What really works?
Get the right attitude
- Promoting positive learning behaviours
- Developing growth mindset, resilience and grit
- Foster the DIY approach (independence and initiative)
- Emotional vocabulary
Beyond the classroom
- Positive interventions
- Mentoring programmes
- The right role model
The tricky whole-school elements
- Unconscious biases and implications
- Structures and systems
- Brave leadership
‘I would highly recommend this course as it has a range of practical ideas and these were delivered in an excellent manner’
Dave Abel, 6th Form Coordinator, King Edward VI High School