Academic gender gap ‘is stubbornly wide’
Schools may be tempted to invest in more key stage 2 books after the government admitted the fact many boys are failing to meet the required standard in English is a concern.
According to schools minister Nick Gibb, the gender gap among school pupils is proving to be "stubbornly wide", as one in three boys are not reaching their potential in English lessons.
This compares with one in four girls who are missing their targets in the subject.
"It's a huge concern," Mr Gibb commented
"The further behind pupils are at 11, the less likely they are to catch up."
Mr Gibb insisted that the government's education reforms should help to give the pupils a "solid grounding" in English.
He also confirmed that pupils who start to fall behind will be given the appropriate catch-up support to ensure they are able to reach the required standards.
This comes after Nick Seaton of the Campaign for Real Education said British schoolchildren have weaker literacy skills than those in other parts of Europe.
