St Paul’s CE VA Primary and Nursery School Workshop for Parents. How about Boys?

Let’s review.. Lots of statistics to show girls outperforming boys. Lots of theories regarding brains and hormones! Is it nature or nurture? Now it is the turn of the neuro-surgeons.. Are our boys connecting?

Experience is Key.. Repeated experience leads to stronger than permanent pathways. Experience continues to increase these connections up to age 10 or 11 years and then they start to disappear – use them or lose them. Once these pathways and connections have become much more permanent, they are much harder to change and adapt.

Start a new habit.. There are critical and sensitive periods for children. Especially for language. There is a need to start a new habit with consistency and regularity. Through activity bad habits are replaced with good ones and this can be quick if consistent and regular.

Why boys? Not just boys. Class, poverty, age in class, race as well as gender. However…. Boys who talk / Boys who walk Language is the currency. Picture a boy..

Group the Boys.. Boys are not all the same… Able and behaved (boys who are academically focussed and generally well behaved) Able with attitude (boys who are academically able but too often get into conflict with teachers or other boys and end up off point – they are often poor communicators) Able, but distracted (boys who are academically able, but have their priorities elsewhere, such as being social, playing sport, being carers at home or who are generally focussed anywhere other than at school) Less able and behaved (boys who struggle because of poor basic skills or a learning difficulty, but have a willingness and motivation to learn) Less able with attitude (boys who struggle with their work, who become disengaged in class and are quite able to disrupt others and get involved in conflict with teachers and peers and are usually poor communicators) Group your boys into one of these groups….

Where do we go from here? Short term answers / Long Term answers Language Discipline

Why bother? “Parental Involvement in the form of “at-home good parenting” has a significant positive effect on children’s achievement and adjustment – even after all other factors shaping attainment have been taken out of the equation.” Charles Desforges (Literature Review 2003)

“In the primary age range the impact caused by different levels of parental involvement is much bigger than differences associated with variations in the quality of schools. The scale of the impact is evident across all social classes and all ethnic groups.” Charles Desforges – Literature Review 2003

Long Term.. Vocabulary Word books Do not accept gestures Raise verbal ability 15m a day

Short Term Motivation – map their progress No fluffiness – not even in EYFS Mum talk Home vs school Communication strategies / body language etc Fiddle or not to fiddle? Rewards / effort Expectations – raise them!!

What next? Try the activities. Feedback Share Resources “Thank you for coming, engaging and listening”