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Girls dissuaded from choosing Physics at A-level (BBC Breakfast, 9th Dec 2013) )

Stephen Booth
Did anyone else see the item on Physics A-level on BBC Breakfast this morning?  Apparently girls choosign their A-Levels are being actively discouraged from choosing it by their teachers on the grounds that it's not a girls subject.  Fortunately I wasn't eating or drinking at the moment that was said else my TV and the wall around it my have gotten a brand new coating.  Apparently the only STEM subject deemed suitable for the delicate sensibilities of young ladies, by their teachers, is Biology.



They did report that whilst schools with no sixth form (so pupils have to go to a college or another school) tend to be very poor in supporting girls in choosing Physics A-Level where the school has it's own sixth form a higher proportion of girls do choose to study Physics as they can often see girls from the previous 2 years doing the subject so the "Physics isn't for girls" arguement is weakened.


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  • Former Community Member
    0 Former Community Member
    If it's any consolation, nobody in my school was encouraged to take physics or any science at A Level. Only a handful did and a few more did Maths, but that was it. The school was more interested in pushing physchology as they'd just started offering it (with two rookie teachers - the results were terrible). 



    I don't know of anybody that I studied A Levels with who went into engineering. I can only think of one person who went into a technical profession (a pilot).



    I think this is not exlusively a girls' problem, but it's sad to hear that some girls have been discouraged by teachers. I really question the teachers' motives.
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  • Former Community Member
    0 Former Community Member
    If it's any consolation, nobody in my school was encouraged to take physics or any science at A Level. Only a handful did and a few more did Maths, but that was it. The school was more interested in pushing physchology as they'd just started offering it (with two rookie teachers - the results were terrible). 



    I don't know of anybody that I studied A Levels with who went into engineering. I can only think of one person who went into a technical profession (a pilot).



    I think this is not exlusively a girls' problem, but it's sad to hear that some girls have been discouraged by teachers. I really question the teachers' motives.
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