The Guardian - 06.09.2019

Section:GDN 1N PaGe:5 Edition Date:190906 Edition:01 Zone: Sent at 5/9/2019 20:21 cYanmaGentaYellowbla

Friday 6 September 2019 The Guardian •

Ucas accused 5

School leavers were

sent loan adverts

Page 16

Frock and awe

Killing Eve costumes

take centre stage

Page 17

Drop in reading achievement by

boys leads to wider gender gap

Richard Adams

Education editor

Girls continue to outperform boys in all

subjects by the end of primary school

in England, according to the latest key

stage 2 test results published by the

Department for Education (DfE).

The results, from the national cur-

riculum tests and assessments taken

by pupils in year six, known as Sats,

showed 70% of girls reached the

expected standards in maths, read-

ing and writing, compared with 60%

for boys, widening the gap from 8 per-

centage points last year to 10 this year.

Across England, 65% of pupils in

state schools achieved the govern-

ment’s expected standards in the three

subjects, a 1% improvement on 2018.

The widening of the gender gap was

caused mainly by a dip in the propor-

tion of boys reaching the expected

standard in reading, which fell from

72% in 2018 to 69%. In maths, boys

and girls improved by 3% but girls

remained slightly ahead at 79% to 78%.

The only bright spot for boys was

in the government’s higher standard

in maths, with 29% hitting the grade

compared with 25% of girls.

The latest Sats results are the con-

tinuation of trends seen for many

years. In Britain, girls consistently out-

perform boys, with the exception of

advanced maths-based subjects. In the

most recent GCSE results girls showed

improved performances, despite the

introduction of more diffi cult exams.

The gap in performance between

disadvantaged pupils and their class-

mates remains stubbornly wide,

suggesting eff orts to close it have

slowed or been ineff ective.

About 51% of children from disad-

vantaged backgrounds achieved the

expected standards in maths, read-

ing and writing, the same as in 2018,

while the proportion of non-disadvan-

taged pupils hitting the standard rose

to 71%. That leaves the gap between

the two groups little changed for the

last three years, with the DfE’s statis-

ticians warning that it might widen

slightly when the fi nal fi gures for 2019

are published.

Paul Whiteman, the general sec-

retary of the National Association of

Head Teachers, said children from dis-

advantaged families were the victims

of austerity. “Successive governments

have failed to invest in those who need

it the most, and now we see the result

• a sustained long-term gap over many
  years between disadvantaged pupils
  and pupils from more affl uent fam-
  ilies. However, we need to be very
  careful of reading too much into small,
  year-on-year fl uctuations ... There is
  a long-standing gender gap when it
  comes to reading and writing, which is
  certainly a concern, and is something
  teachers are constantly attempting to
  tackle .”
  In 2019 30% of pupils at the end
  of key stage 2 were classed as being
  disadvantaged. Nick Gibb, the minis-
  ter for school standards, said the gap
  ha d noticeably decreased over the
  last eight years and that government
  reforms since 2010 have helped “ level
  the playing fi eld”.
  There were substantial regional
  vari ations in the results, with pupils
  in London generally doing better than
  in other parts of England. Only 53%
  of boys in Dudley, in the Midlands,
  reached the expected standards in
  the three key subjects, compared with
  83% of girls in the wealthy borough of
  Richmond-upon-Thames.
  Schools maintained by local author-
  ities – about two-thirds of the state
  primaries in England – achieved 66%
  in the standards compared with 65%
  in academies and free schools.

Journal Leader comment Page 2 

Royal reception Princess Charlotte, four, arrives for her fi rst day of school at Thomas’s Battersea

in London with the Duchess of Cambridge, Prince George and the Duke of Cambridge. George,

six, has attended the private school since 2017, where he is known as George Cambridge.

PHOTOGRAPH:

AARON CHOWN/PA

Warning for

new parents

over risk of

baby car seats

PA Media

New parents have been warned not

to keep their newborn children in car

seats for long periods of time after a

survey found more than two-thirds

did not know that the practice could

cause breathing diffi culties.

Just 31% of parents said they were

aware that long periods of time in a

car seat could lead to problems with

babies’ breathing and a higher heart

rate, the research found.

Three-quarters said they were not

aware of advice that they should not

travel for longer than 30 minutes with

their new arrival.

The poll of 2,000 adults also found

that younger parents were more aware

of the risks than those aged over 35.

Prof Peter Fleming, from the Uni-

versity of Bristol, helped to conduct

previous research, funded by the

Lullaby Trust, that found that new-

borns seated at a 40-degree angle

for as little as half an hour could be

aff ected because of their “scrunched

up” position.

He said: “Although it is very impor-

tant for parents to always use an

appropriate car seat for young babies

on car journeys, the baby should

always be taken out of the seat and

placed in a suitable sleeping place

such as a cot or Moses basket after

the journey.

“Car seats are not designed for

longer periods of infant sleep.

“In the fi rst four to six weeks after

birth parents should try to avoid car

journeys of more than 30 minutes for

their baby, and whenever possible an

adult should travel with the baby in the

back seat of the car to keep a check on

their position and well being.

“If longer journeys are unavoidable,

please take regular breaks in which

the baby is taken out of the car seat as

much as possible.”

Alex Borgnis , head of car insurance

at Churchill insurance, said: “Driving

with newborns is usually unavoidable

and parents shouldn’t be worried

every time they need to do so.

“There are some simple steps

parents can take to help reduce any

potential risk .”

70%

Proportion of girls reaching the

expected standards in key subjects

- compared with 60% for boys

10

Percentage point outperformance of

girls over boys in the Sats this year,

compared with eight points last year

es

▲ Poll showed too many parents are

unaware of the safety implications

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