Girls outshining boys on computers too

Girls have better computer skills than boys, according to research conducted by Tesco Computers for Schools.

Girls were more likely than boys to be able to successfully complete tasks such as finding what they needed using a search engine, or creating a document.

Only six per cent of girls said they lacked confidence using computers, compared to 10 per cent of boys.

However, both boys and girls were more tech-savvy than their parents, 57 per cent of whom relied on their children for advice on using the computer and internet.

More male teachers "won't improve boys' achievement"

Having more male primary school teachers and using ‘boy-friendly’ methods of teaching will not boost boys’ educational results, a government report has found.

It was believed that these strategies might help to close the gap between boys’ and girls’ results.

However the report, published by the Department for Children, Schools and Families concluded the approach to be ‘simplistic’, and found little difference between the learning patterns of boys and girls.

The report stated: “This finding is in line with other research suggesting that teachers have low expectations of boys’ academic potential and such low expectations could contribute to their low achievement.”

84% of primary school teachers are female.