Boys improve when there are more girls in class

BOYS do better in schools when there are more girls in the class, a study has found.

Their performance at reading improves when they are outnumbered by the opposite sex – with the strongest effect seen when classes are 60 per cent female.

The findings, based on a study of 200,000 15-year-olds from mixed-sex schools around the world including the UK, suggests girls’ higher levels of concentration and greater motivation may provide a positive influence on their male classmates.

Lead author Dr Margriet van Hek, of Utrecht University in Holland, said schools could lift boys’ performance by ensuring a ‘balanced gender distribution’. She said girls may be ‘more active readers’ by 14 or 15, while boys may feel expected to have ‘a big mouth and approach authority’.

The latest research, in the journal School Effectiveness and School Improvement, sheds new light on the debate about how to improve boys’ performances in schools.

UCAS, the university entrance authority, reported last year that girls are outperforming boys in all subjects.