The debate over why so few girls study math-based A-levels turned into “royal wars” on Friday after the children’s commissioner for England speculated that girls found the subject too difficult.
Rachel de Souza told a conference of school leaders in Birmingham that girls were more likely to be delayed from studying science, technology and mathematics (Stem) because of male-dominated classes and a lack of female role models.
De Souza’s comments came after Catherine Birbalsing, king of government social mobility, sparked controversy when she told lawmakers that girls avoid taking A-levels in physics because “they don’t like it, there are a lot of difficult maths that I think that they would rather not do. “
The Children’s Commissioner told a conference of the Confederation of School Trusts: “When I was a leader of trust, I opened Sir Isaac Newton [sixth form]free math and science school after the age of 16 and I want to tell you that I think girls like difficult math. ”
She added: “The girls I spoke to talked about the importance of female role models – that was the question. Entering the classroom when all the boys were in physics. Not that they couldn’t do difficult math. “
De Souza said part of the answer was “showing girls great role models for Stem”, such as Lady Sarah Gilbert, a professor of vaccinology at Oxford University, who helped develop the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine, and Dr. Ritu Karidal, leader of India’s space mission to Mars.
“I think we can do so much to share why Stem’s career is great and why the girls are great in them,” de Souza said.
Birbalsing’s comments to members of the Science and Technology Committee – including her statement that “physics is not something girls tend to imagine. They don’t want to do it, they don’t like it, “they were widely criticized. Birbalsing later said her remarks were taken out of context because she “spent 20 minutes talking about cultural issues, why girls may not choose stem objects.”
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The conference heard a warning from Joe Saxton, head of the English regulator of the Ofqual exams, that all schools are likely to receive lower grades after the A-level and GCSE exams this summer than those awarded by teachers last year, when most -high scores in A -especially levels were awarded at record levels
Saxton said it would not be fair for students to return the grades to pre-pandemic levels “in one fell swoop” and that this year’s results “will reflect a milestone between 2021 and 2019.”
“I must be clear that although, on the one hand, this will be the most generously assessed series of exams so far and that the results are likely to be higher than in 2019, the results will be lower than we saw in 2021, “Saxton said.
“Your schools are likely to find that their results are lower than in 2021, when exams did not continue. Schools that achieve results that are higher than 2021 will be few and far between, if any. “
But Saxton said examiners were also asked to be more lenient in grading: “Ofqual asks examination boards to set grading limits to reflect the context of this pandemic, to avoid putting those students at a disadvantage. who might otherwise just miss a higher score.
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