Review of Strategies to Address Gender Inequalities in Scottish ...

School 1In the first school, non-denominational in a disadvantaged area, the key findings fromthe school visits were:Impetus: The impetus for this initiative came from a desire to raise attainment. The areastargeted for this were English and Mathematics, where Principal Teachers were expectedto use setting.Implementation: SGCs were implemented in S3 and S4, and the strategy aimed to targetpupils in the middle range of attainment. In Mathematics, the strategy is also intended totackle boys’ behaviour and to allow girls a chance to participate: in this subject the wholeyear group had previously been dealt with but staffing constraints had seen the strategylimited to those in the middle range of attainment. There has been no specific matching ofteacher and pupil gender, nor has there been expanded staff development in relation togender issues, although discussion at departmental level and some staff development hasbeen planned to look at teaching of boys.Impact: The teachers held mixed views about the benefits of SGCs – some teachersfound the boys’ classes difficult to manage, though others expressed more positive views.One female teacher talked about being a role model for the girls in the SGC. The pupilsalso had mixed views. Some boys were slightly more positive about SGCs, especiallywith a male teacher, while some pupils preferred mixed gender classes. Both boys andgirls expressed the view that they were conscious of what boys/girls might be beingsaying about them. More significant in the pupils’ view was the relationship with theteacher.School 2The second school was also non-denominational, with a mixed, though stable, socialbackground.Impetus: The impetus for the initiative came from the Principal Teacher of English.Implementation: The strategy involved SGCs across the whole year group in English:these were initially in S3 and S4, but were extended to include S2. There was no specificmatching of teacher and pupil gender, although there was some staff development inrelation to boys and learning.Impact: The practice of having SGCs has now been discontinued by the revised settingarrangements introduced by new management. Staff held positive views about thebenefits of single gender teaching for both boys and girls in terms of behaviour andattainment – particularly for pupils who were borderline credit/general.School 3The key findings from the third school, a denominational school drawing pupils fromboth urban and rural communities, were as follows.Impetus: The initiative was coordinated by the Depute Head Teacher and a detailedevaluation had been conducted by a school development group. The main focus wasagain on the raising of attainment.Implementation: Single gender classes were used in S3 and S4, once again in Englishand Mathematics, currently targeting pupils in the middle range of attainment. Reductionin the size of classes which this group attended and the timetabling of a coherent PEprogramme were associated issues. There was no specific matching of teacher and pupilgender, nor had there been any expanded staff development in relation to gender issues.Impact: In this school, the teachers reported that the SGCs were more about behaviour –both boys’ and girls’. For girls it involved tackling self-esteem and underachievement,building a ‘can do’ feeling and providing opportunities for them to participate fully in the______________________________________________________________________________________Review of Strategies to 35 University of StrathclydeAddress Gender Inequalitiesand University of Glasgow