Why girls’ schools lead the way in NAPLAN

AN ASSESSMENT of scores on NAPLAN data over the past five years show that both fully selective and partially selective public schools outperform every other sector.

Out of the top 60 schools, 25 are girls’ schools (four public and 21 private schools) and only nine are boys’ schools. Of these, the top four boys’ schools are public selective boys’ schools, three of which are in the top 13 schools. Five are private boys’ schools.

The data suggests independent and private girls’ schools are the most academically successful schools. The least academically successful are boys’ schools. Co-ed schools are second most successful.

It would be interesting to see what contribution the girls made to the success of the co-ed schools where the data is not separated. At a time of widespread debate about students being able to access a co-ed high school, this data is very important. It seems to be a distinct educational disadvantage that boys in some suburbs can only access an all-boys public high school.

Why are the girls’ schools so successful in literacy and numeracy? It has been noted for some time that girls outperform boys on reading and writing tests whereas the boys outperform the girls on numeracy tests. Four of the five NAPLAN tests are literacy-based whereas one is a numeracy test.

Gender differences in reading and writing have been known for some time. Some academics suggest this is because girls are more academically mature or their brains grow differently to boys’ brains. Others suggest girls communicate differently to boys, giving them an advantage in literacy-based tasks.

Still others suggest that expectations of girls and boys in schools vary, resulting in differing outcomes. In families with boys and girls, it is common for sons to be allowed greater freedom to move, to dissent and to play. Girls are expected to be more still, to listen and to accommodate. Girls I have taught say their brothers have greater entitlement to go out, come home later and be less accountable for what they do.

If we are to improve academic outcomes for boys we need to take this evidence seriously and learn from how we teach and raise girls.