STEM
Unsurprisingly, there have been calls for an investigation into what’s going on, and whether what we’re seeing is a one-off or an early warning sign – the canary in the calculus – that something fundamental is affecting girls’ enthusiasm for STEM subjects. Schools, though, stress that it’s important to see these figures in context. While they might sound dramatic, this might not signal a long-term trend, particularly given previous years’ results, when performance of boys and girls was broadly equal. One reason for seeing this as a possible short-term hiccup is that
“This means that the task for schools might be to help every child – and particularly girls – live with and embrace mistakes”
these are pupils whose education was significantly disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic – which included missing out on the national SATs tests usually taken in year 6. There could be other factors at play too, including students’ levels of confidence –
higher among boys, lower for girls – rather than any underlying difference in ability. This means that the task for schools might be to help every child – and particularly girls – live with and embrace mistakes. That can be hard for anyone, regardless of age, as any adult concerned
CAMBRIDGE EDUCATION GUIDE 21
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