Dear Parents & Carers

Each year when the GCSE results come out, the media is full of reports of girls outperforming boys in a ‘gender gap’. A brief look at the results shows that this is fuelled in part by subjects which rely on extended writing. Boys tend to be reluctant writers. No new news there; however, the recent GCSE reforms have introduced a more ‘traditional’ style of learning and assessment with extended writing being even more important than before.

So how do we ensure our boys are writing more? They are not short of ideas or ability. However, when GCSEs are submitted, all students are compared and grade boundaries are established, so if on the whole boys write less content than girls do, more girls than boys will fill up the available spaces in the higher grades and this gender gap will continue to grow.

One way we can challenge this is to insist that boys handwrite their homework. It might seem slightly odd to do this. After all, in our professional lives, we largely use computers and rarely write for several hours with a pen. However, students must do this in exams; it is the way these exams are designed. Therefore, if you suspect your child is a reluctant writer, please try and insist they handwrite their homework; it will provide essential practice for the exam hall.

Best wishes

Andy Perry – Head Teacher

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