Female pupils’ behaviour getting worse – survey

Girls are misbehaving more in the classroom now than they were five years ago, a survey of teachers suggested.

A fifth of teachers believe girls’ behaviour is now more difficult than boys, according to a poll by the Association of Teachers and Lecturers.

Almost half (48 per cent) said they thought the behaviour of female pupils has worsened over the last five years, with a similar proportion (44 per cent) saying it had got worse in two years.

In comparison, 43 per cent said boys’ behaviour has deteriorated in two years.

The poll, which questioned over 800 school staff, found that while boys were more likely to be disrespectful and verbally and physically aggressive, girls were more likely to be bullies.

Four times as many teachers said they had witnessed girls bullying than boys (44 per cent to 10 per cent), spreading rumours, making snide comments or leaving a fellow pupil out.

One 34-year-old teacher from Reading told researchers: “Girls spread rumours and fall-outs last a long time. Boys tend to sort it out fairly quickly.”

A Bedfordshire primary school teacher said: “Boys are generally more physical and their behaviour is more noticeable.

“Girls are often sneakier about misbehaving, they often say nasty things which end up disrupting the lesson just as much as the boys, as other children get upset and can’t focus on their work. They are usually the ones who refuse to comply with instructions.”

Some six per cent of those questioned said they had seen girls pushing, spitting, kicking, punching or hitting, compared to 40 per cent who had seen this behaviour in boys.

“Boys are more physically aggressive and usually to other pupils; with girls it is more name-calling, less fighting,” one secondary school teacher said.

At ATL’s annual conference in Liverpool this week, the union will debate a motion expressing concern that an increasing number of girls are being excluded from secondary school.

The motion calls on ATL’s executive to investigate the problem and to urge ministers to help develop programmes to assist pupils, schools and staff.

The poll found that, overall, more than half (56 per cent) of those questioned think pupil behaviour has worsened over the last five years and 45 per cent said it has got worse in the last two.

Low-level disruption such as talking in class and not paying attention was cited as the biggest behaviour problem.

The main reasons given for poor behaviour were family breakdowns, a lack of good role models at home and poor emotional health.