Closing Doors is an Institute of Physics report that uses the National Pupil Database to look at progression to a number of gendered A-level subjects from co-educational schools.
“Main Points include:
Nearly half of co-educational state-funded schools (49%) are actually making the gender imbalance in these subjects worse, but the small number of schools (19%) that send on relatively more girls to do A-level physics also have a smaller gender imbalance in progression to other subjects.
It follows that whatever factors limit the progression of girls to A-level physics in a school are likely to depend on the whole school environment.
Recommendations include:
- School accountability measures should include an indicator of gender imbalance in progression to A-level and other post-16 qualifications. Ofsted should require schools to monitor and counter gender imbalance in progression, participation and achievement.
- Schools should reflect on their own statistics and put in place whole-school measures to counter gender stereotyping.”