Schools should be ‘boy positive’ to tackle male underachievement – report

There is a risk of ‘under-educated men veering towards the political extremes’ if gender disparities are not addressed, a think tank has warned.

A “boy-positive” learning environment should be developed in schools and the Government should appoint a minister for men to tackle gender disparities in education, a report has suggested.

The Higher Education Policy Institute (Hepi) has said a dedicated strategy is needed to tackle attainment differences between men and women to address “one of the most egregious issues” affecting education and society.

There is a risk of “under-educated men veering towards the political extremes” if male underachievement is not tackled, the report has warned.

The think tank’s paper, sponsored by Ulster University, estimates that half a million young men have missed out on higher education over the past decade.

The report, which has been co-authored by male inclusion adviser Mark Brooks, calls for a bigger focus on gender disparities – especially in the educational workforce – in Ofsted inspections, as well as in universities’ access and participation plans.

It highlighted that many people believe the presence of more male teachers “normalises learning as a suitable activity for men” and may help children with no positive male role models at home

The report has called for ministers to learn from the push to get more women into scientific roles to get more men into the teaching, care and nursing professions, where they are currently underrepresented.

It added that the majority of universities still do not formally recognise men as a disadvantaged group in respect to university entry.

In 2024/25, around 44,000 fewer UK-domiciled young men than women accepted a place at a UK higher education institution, according to data which looks at Ucas applicants aged 19 and under.

If young women and young men went to higher education at the same rate, there would actually be more male students as more men than women are born each year, according to the report.

The gap between what currently happens and full equity stands at “around 55,000 missing men each year” – which the think tank said equates to around half a million missing men over the past decade.

The Government could appoint a junior “Minister for Men and Boys” or a named minister specifically tasked with addressing the educational underachievement of male pupils and students, the report said.

The paper has called for grassroots initiatives aimed at raising the standard of boys’ education to be evaluated and expanded – such as “Lads Need Dads”, which runs a reading mentoring scheme in schools.

It added:  “It is worth noting that some specific changes aimed at a boy-positive environment could be cheap and straightforward to deliver – such as marking International Men’s Day.”

In April last year, just months before the election, the Commons Education Select Committee launched an inquiry into why boys consistently underperform compared with girls in educational attainment.

It came after a report by the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Issues Affecting Men and Boys called on schools to tell parents what their child was being taught about “toxic masculinity”.

Mary Curnock Cook, a former Ucas chief executive, highlighted figures in the think tank’s report which suggested that around a quarter of parents think that boys in their child’s school are made to feel ashamed of being male.

In her foreword to the Hepi report, Ms Curnock Cook wrote: “Is ‘toxic masculinity’ the cause or the effect of stigmatising boys and young men and failing to care about their education?

“We want girls to have role models to motivate them to achieve, yet we seem to be intensely relaxed about so many boys growing up with few male teachers, often in single-parent households (where the single parent is usually a mum, not a dad) and in places where their doctor, the vet and the solicitor are also increasingly likely to be female.

“Is it any wonder they look to social media for their icons and heroes and are drawn too often to highly toxic versions of masculinity?”

She added that ignoring the “worsening gulf” between boys and girls in education is “no longer an option”.

Ms Curnock Cook said: “It matters because a significant minority of men and boys are unnecessarily underachieving in education as this report so graphically describes.

“They are going on to crowd our justice system and prisons, our hospitals, our negative narratives about masculinity and the continuing fight for gender equality in the workplace and in homes.”

Nick Hillman, director of the Hepi and co-author of the report, said: “Education holds the key to unlocking more equal opportunities across our society but boys and men currently fall behind girls and women at each stage of education, from infant class to PhDs.

“The resolute focus that is generally put on educational differences by class and ethnicity is generally missing when it comes to the sex of learners.

“That must change if we are to tackle one of the most egregious issues affecting education as well as society.

“We need a cross-government strategy to address the problem. It wasn’t until 2022 that we had a dedicated health strategy for women and we are still waiting for a dedicated education strategy for men.

“For any new strategy to be truly effective, it will need clear ministerial oversight, including – if necessary – a new Minister for Men and Boys to oversee it.”

Mr Brooks, co-founding trustee of the Men and Boys Coalition and co-author of the report, said: “Everyone in education knows young men are not achieving as much as young women. Yet it has become a truth that dare not speak its name.

“Each year, it can be clearly seen when the exam results and higher education participation rates are published. Nationally though, there is little discussion or accountability, let alone any action.

“It is difficult to understand the reasons why – even more so if we truly aim to create a more inclusive society.”