Set school targets for boys, says EOC

Set school targets for boys, says EOC

Schools should set targets for both boys' and girls' achievement to help iron out the differences between the sexes, the Equal Opportunities Commission said yesterday. The commission, which is traditionally seen as the champion of girls, says new research reveals the need to concentrate on the problems of boys as well as girls, writes Judith Judd, Education Editor.

A study for the commission, whose findings were first disclosed in the Independent, shows that girls have overtaken boys at GCSE during the past ten years and are catching up fast at A-level. One reason why boys underachieve, the report from the universities of Cambridge and the South Bank suggests, may be their lack of motivation as traditional job opportunities for men dwindle.