School failures 'let down country's poorest boys'

Fri Nov 27 2009 00:03:47

Failures in England's education system are fuelling crime and letting down the country's poorest boys, research suggests.

Boys are being betrayed by schools that fail to teach them to read, write and add up, instil discipline and to recognise those falling behind, according to a study by the Centre for Policy Studies think tank.

Almost two thirds of 14-year-old white working class boys and more than half of 14-year-old black Caribbean boys have a reading age of seven, the report said.

The study suggests a shift in teaching styles in the last 30 years is partly to blame, with the focus now on "child centred" learning, rather than rote learning, with pupils sitting in rows facing the teacher.

This does not benefit boys, who need discipline and help from their teachers.

And it suggests many schemes designed to boost standards in literacy have failed to be effective for boys from more deprived backgrounds, who end up unable to read properly.

The study, based on interviews with teenagers who have been "let down" by the system, as well as parents and teachers, found they began to misbehave when they were seven or eight, by which time they should have learnt to read.

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