ATL

Teachers 'expect girls to perform better than boys'

01 September 2010

Teachers expect boys to perform more poorly than girls at school, new research has revealed.

A study carried out by the University of Kent found that female students also believe they are cleverer than their male counterparts from the age of four, the Guardian reports.

Bonny Hartley, one of the academics behind the work, noted that boys also believe that girls are more focused and successful by the age of seven or eight.

"There are signs that these expectations have the potential to become self-fulfilling in influencing children's actual conduct and achievement," she noted.

Researchers said teachers should not use terms such as "schoolboy pranks" or ask boys to "sit nicely like the girls" as this could reinforce stereotypes and increase the gender expectation gap.

Girls outperformed boys in most GCSE subjects once again this year.

Overall, pass rates increased for the 23rd consecutive time, with over 69 per cent reaching the five A*-C benchmark.