Education seems to have forgotten a proportion of its population – namely working class boys and girls! Whether we like to admit it or not, one size does not fit all when it comes to education, and boys are a completely different fit to girls, they need different stimuli and different provisions. This does not mean that we need segregated schools before certain elements of the population starts, but it does mean that we need to be inclusive of boys needs which we are not currently in the educational strata. Books need to cater for boys, not just girls. Boys also need more room to run about and get rid of energy, and also classes need to reflect this. It will be interesting to see if government, the educational establishment, and to a large degree teachers can make the changes needed.  We continue to talk about league tables, revamping education etc, but we seem to have difficulty in having a long term strategy, to allow it to develop with tinkering (government and inspectors) and to also allow teachers room and time to implement strategy without complaining even before it has had time for the ink to dry! Dave McFarlane, Community Journalist

Study finds poorer white children’s attainment has stayed stubbornly low despite improvements among other groups

Source: Schools must focus on struggling white working-class pupils, says UK charity