Boys v School – My Conclusions from the Series
What have I learned from the series?
We started Boys v School with the problem: working class boys are falling behind their more affluent peers at every stage of education – and the attainment gap has held for the past quarter of a century.
It was a pleasure to sit down with Professor Noel Purdy, Dr Andy Hamilton (Taking Boys Seriously), Pastor Will Warren, David Magill (from Dreamscheme NI), and of course, Jay and Carl, to explore why the problem exists and what we can do to turn the tide.
But now, it’s time for some conclusions!
(If you haven’t yet, I’d encourage you to listen to the four-part series on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.)
So, what have I learned?
Well, at least this:
Foundations matter – Parents and grandparents have a huge influence on the early formation of a boy’s value of learning, as well as his vision for what school is for. Early educational experiences stick with boys. If they are falling behind in primary school, that is likely to continue. One of the negative impacts of the transfer test is that many pupils arrive into Year 8 feeling like academic failures. Their self-confidence as learners is often seriously knocked – and needs to be rebuilt.
Disadvantage matters – Every working-class boy has his very real but unique mix of disadvantage – usually a combination of poverty, family conflict or separation, intergenerational trauma from the Troubles, the selective education system, and even views of masculinity that clash with learning. The problem isn’t that working-class parents don’t value education. They do. They just often lack the skills and confidence to navigate the education system. One of Will Warren’s observations was that working-class young men need support long after they’ve left school – as they deal with setbacks and need encouragement to keep going. The lack of representation in higher education means working-class young men can doubt whether they can make it through. A connected issue is that in many working-class communities, anyone who is ‘successful’ in school and work very often leaves – and pulls the ladder up with them.
Friends matter – The one piece of advice that Jay would give to his 13-year-old self is to make better friends. A number of things seem to be going on in relation to peers. The desire to build or keep their image as “the funny guy” leads many boys into conflict with teachers. What seems like “just banter” to boys is “bad behaviour” to teachers. Working-class lad culture also tends to run a mile from anything that appears academic. Boys will often dumb down in front of their peers to avoid being seen as a nerd – despite being personally bright and curious to learn.
Curriculum matters – Perhaps the most common reason why boys switch off in class is because it feels boring. Professor Noel Purdy stressed the need for a curriculum that gives teachers more flexibility to adapt to boys’ interests. That will very likely mean more hands-on learning, less textbook reading, and more interaction and competition. Education pathways also matter. For many working-class boys, university is not the right choice. Schools need to give equal validation to alternative pathways – such as vocational courses at FE colleges, as well as apprenticeships, which often provide more meaningful work for boys.
Masculinity matters – Boys need to feel that they are welcome at school. Yes, they need to learn the limits of physical play and the boundaries of banter. But rather than the constant message of “Stop that” or “No”, they need to hear the constructive message of “Not now, but later,” and “Not here, but there.” There should be times and spaces in the school day for fun, high energy, physical exertion, competition, and risk-taking. Boys will be boys – and the education system needs to embrace this good reality.
Relationships matter – As boys enter adolescence, the need for respect and genuine relationship grows. When they are patronised or treated like children, they often simply revolt. The teachers who take time to ‘get’ the boys will be the teachers who get the boys’ attention. Key to this relationship is understanding their context – and connecting learning with where they are and where they want to go. But if we want to see more working-class boys thrive in school and raise their aspirations, it’s going to take more than relational teachers. We need adults everywhere – especially ordinary men in the community – to speak into boys’ lives and encourage them to take themselves seriously.
Vision matters – For too long, we have passed on a narrow vision of education and it isn’t motivating working class boys. We need to give them a better answer to the fundamental question: What is school for? Boys need to hear that education prepares them for living a good life, not just getting a good job. They need to hear less about grades and more about how education helps them become better men, better fathers, better leaders.
A final word
I’ll wrap up this series with a parting message from Professor Noel Purdy that didn’t make the final cut of Episode 1: Boredom is the Enemy:
“We need more people working with boys and more people committed to investing in their future. Unless we do that, they're going to be left by the wayside. We can see that in the statistics already.
I'd be very concerned that there are too many very talented boys and young men who are dropping out of education, dropping out of training, dropping out of employment, who have tremendous talent.
So if anyone's working with those young people at risk of disengagement, I would say be creative, be innovative within the boundaries of your particular working environment, and focus on respect and relationship with those young men that you're working with. And I'm sure that that will reap rewards.”
For further thought
There were some topics we didn’t touch, that may also have a role to play in the Boys v School puzzle. For now, I’ll pose them as questions and leave them with you:
Work – Boys seem to respond well to hands-on learning. Should we be offering earlier work experience opportunities or apprenticeships?
Vocation – It there a broader loss of meaning in the world of work? Have we lost a sense of vocation? Is this connected to a broader spiritual crisis in society?
Male teachers – What’s keeping males away from teaching? Salaries? Stress? Status? Safeguarding fears?
Technology – How are smartphones, gaming, and social media affecting boys’ ability to focus, learn, or persevere? What’s the impact on sleep?
Rites of passage – In other cultures and throughout history, boys often had clear rites of passage – becoming a man at, say, 13. How did that shape their motivation to achieve and contribute?
ADHD – how much is this causing working class boys to disengage in class? What explains the rise in ADHD diagnoses, and is there anything we can do to reverse the problem?
If this series has raised questions, or if you have a perspective I haven’t covered, I’d love to hear from you.
Until next time,
Stephen