The Centre for Policy Research on Men and Boys (CPRMB) has launched a Commission on Boys’ Education to find out why boys are falling behind at all levels of education and how to ensure they thrive. The commissioners are drawn from education, academia and organisations championing men and boys and will operate under the leadership of Peter Hyman, political strategist, writer and former headteacher.  Peter has been a senior advisor to Sir Tony Blair and Sir Keir Starmer and co-founder of two schools and the education charity Voice21, of which he remains a trustee.

 Peter says, “Having spent the last year listening to more than 1000 young people across the country, I am in no doubt that there’s something happening in society around boys and men – their identity, their sense of purpose, their growing anxiety about where and how they fit in.

Evidence from academic research and educational outcomes indicates that boys, on average, are underperforming, relative to girls, in key areas such as literacy, and higher education attainment. But more than that, many boys and men report feeling unhappy, angry, or just lost.

So rather than leave such a vital societal issue to panic-filled headlines, media punditry or quack remedies, we are setting up a Commission to conduct a focused, time-limited inquiry into how the education system can be reformed to better meet the specific educational and developmental needs of boys.”

The commission will take evidence from educators, practitioners, parents, students, and other stakeholders to try to find out what’s going wrong and to identify ways to improv ethe situation.  It will look at what’s already been published on the subject and examine the data coming out of educational institutions at all levels. It will also set in train original research.

 Peter says, “We will look at‘ education’ in its widest sense. Not just exam success, though that matters, but how boys grow up with the confidence and tools to flourish as successful men, fathers, brothers, sons, friends and work colleagues.”

The commission will explore the education system from early years to further and higher education and propose the solutions necessary to ensure it really delivers for boys. It will be a commission that will actively seek to generate public debate and get as many perspectives as possible nationally and internationally.

The Commission will seek to understand the root causes ofthese disparities and develop actionable recommendations for government, policymakers, the education system, boys and their parents.

The Commissioners:

Peter Hyman – Chair

Caroline Barlow – Headteacher and Co-Chair of the Headteachers' Roundtable (HTRT)think-tank

Dr Alex Blower - founder of Boys’ Impact, an organisation examining andaddressing the gap in GCSE outcomes for young men eligible for Free SchoolMeals.

Jeffrey Boakye – Author, English teacher and Senior Teaching Fellow at ManchesterInstitute of Education (MIE)

Polly Curtis - Chief Executive of Demos, the cross-party think tank.

Ed Fidoe- Founder and CEO of the London Interdisciplinary School

Shuab Gamote – Advocate for young people, on the advisory group for the MilburnNEETs review, and co-author of Inside the Mind of a 16-Year-Old

Jo Heaton - CEO of Northern Lights Multi Academy Trust and previously a member of the Expert Advisory Group for Recruitment & Retention and the Headteacher Reference Group, and a National Leader of Education.

Sana Khareghani, Chief Strategy Officer at Era4, former Head ofthe UK Government’s Office for AI

Dr Sophie King-Hill - Associate Professor at University of Birmingham specialising andauthor of Reframing Masculinity for Young Men and Boys: We’re in thisTogether.  

Professor Bill Lucas - Professor of Learning and Director of the Centre for Real World Learning, University of Winchester, and co-chair of the strategic advisorygroup for the 2021 PISA test of Creative Thinking.

Stuart Manifould - CEO @The Dome Youth Zone, Crewe and former COO of CheshireFootball Association.

Ian Pryce CBE - former CEO, Bedford College Group.  

Richard Reeves- President of the American Institute of Men and Boys, and author of Of Boys and Men: Why the Modern Male is Struggling, Why it Matters, and What to Do About It.

Luke Tryl - Executive Director of More in Common, former special advisor tothe secretary for Education, former Director of Strategy at Ofsted

For more details, please visit https://www.menandboys.org.uk/boys-education-commission

Boys' Education Commission: Remit

The overarching enquiry will focus on:

 How do we support boys to thrive in school and support them to become capable, confident, kind and purposeful young men?

 The Commission will try to understand the root causes of what is going wrong for some boys at the moment, create a debate around these vital issues, and develop actionable recommendations for government, policy makers, the education system, boys andtheir parents.

 The Commission will:

 (1) Diagnose the issue. It will review current educational data, research, and best practices both nationally and internationally.

(2) Engage with educators, practitioners, parents, students, and other stakeholders.

(3) Identify systemic barriers and cultural factors affecting boys’ educational engagement and success.

 (4) Recommend reforms to curriculum design, teaching, school and college environments, provision beyond the classroom and wider support systems tailored to boys’ developmental needs.

 (5) Provide and promote strategies to close achievement gaps, equip boys for success in life and at work and promote positive emotional, and social development.

‍ENDS

For further information, including interviews, please contact Simon Garrett – simon@virtubrands.com– 07974 566043

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