Pupils segregated for maths lessons
It’s because boys and girls learn differently, says high school’s headteacher
AHIGH school headteacher has defended her school’s trial of separating boys and girls for GCSE Maths classes, after a parent complained.
Whitworth Community High School head Gill Middlemas has defended the decision to separate Year 10 pupils by gender for maths classes.
The school says that the decision allows them to tailor the teaching of classes based on the different ways in which boys and girls are said to learn.
A letter from the school’s head of Mathematics Ms Jan, was sent home to parents last month and said the ‘informed’ decision was made to ‘promote excellent outcomes at grades 7-9’.
The letter said: “We have your son/daughter’s education at the heart of all decisions made within the faculty and we sincerely believe this will create a positive and competitive culture between the staff and students involved to make faster than expected progress which will enable them to achieve maximum outcomes.”
Diane Hart, 54, whose daughter Millie Grace is in Year 10, said she did not believe the decision had been made until she read the letter.
She said: “It is segregation – [Millie Grace] gave me the letter and I instantly thought this was unbelievable in this day and age; that we’re going back to the Victorian era.
“It’s the precedent it sets.
“The kids all have phones and the interact on phones, so socialisation and safe contact between the sexes in school is a good thing.”
Diane, who owns the Kandy Corner shop in Bacup, says other parents have voiced their concerns to her.
She added: “I rang my friend with a son in the same group and we were in disbelief.”
However, headteacher Ms Middlemas said initial feedback from parents about the trial has been positive. She said: “We started a 12-week pilot at school last week regarding the teaching of maths.
“At the heart of this initiative is giving boys and girls the best chance to learn and to succeed in such an important subject. We’ve noticed for some time that boys and girls learn differently, especially in maths.
“Teaching the subject to them in separate groups gives us the opportunity to tailor lessons to create the best environment for learning. We’ll constantly monitor the situation to see if we carry on with teaching maths in this way.”