Cambridge study finds girls outperform boys at school

The research showed consistent results from early education through to university

Girls outperform boys from primary school through to university in the UK, according to a new study.

Cambridge University Press & Assessment said it was the largest study of its kind in terms of "the number of stages of education covered".

They found more female students met or exceeded expectations.

But Matthew Carroll, who led the study, said "apparent advantages" shown by girls "are not necessarily carried through to employment".

He said "gaps in pay, opportunities and skill utilisation" were "still common in the labour market".

The researchers analysed already publicly available datasets, stretching between the early years foundation stage from age four, up until higher education.

Researchers concluded that educational reforms and the disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic had not changed the "direction of existing patterns" - although suggested teacher-graded assessments disadvantaged some male pupils.

The data found that maths remained an outlier, with male students outperforming female students and achieving at the highest levels from early years education to A Level.

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"Female-led attainment gaps increased in magnitude," said Matthew Carroll, who led the study.

"Male-led attainment gaps decreased in years in which examinations were cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

"The fact that the earliest attainment gaps between genders are based on teacher assessments - which are known to favour female students - could indicate that early differences in perception sow the seeds of different educational experiences, in turn leading to the differences seen in later external tests."

Mr Carroll added that young women remained underrepresented in Stem subjects ( (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics), and said "we need to figure out" the possible implications for the labour markets.