My podcast with former UCAS Chief Executive, and renowned educational advisor, Mary Curnock Cook CBE is out now! 👇

https://tinyurl.com/2ac7fckh

“Redshirting” is a particularly controversial idea that is being thrown around in the discussion of how to close the gender gap in educational attainment.

So what is “Redshirting”?

Well, the theory suggests that boys should start school a year later than girls (to be ‘redshirted’), to account for their delayed brain development.

It’s an idea that’s been championed most notably by AIBM President Richard Reeves, as an idea worth considering, if we are to help boys catch up with girls in school.

But is it the right approach, and does it actually solve the problem at the heart of the educational gap?

If boys are behind, the very last thing we need to do, is to hold them back a year?

And if the school system isn’t right for boys of a certain age, then the solution is surely to change the school system – rather than penalise young boys for our lack of suitable educational styles?

It’s an interesting debate.

“Redshirting” seems to both unite and divide in equal measure, so who better to offer her opinion than the former boss of UCAS herself, Mary Curnock Cook, who remains one of the U.Ks most respected independent educationalists…

So what do you think?

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Images by Getty

2024-12-13