1/2 of all state schools have no girls sitting physics A level

I agree, Glaurung. It shouldn't put girls off, and thankfully there are many that it doesn't. But if you were swithering between physics and another subject, rather than completely comitted to the subject, then being the only girl would be the deciding factor for many.

My dd started off doing physics in an all girl 6th form, but wasn't happy at the school. So she moved to another, mostly boy school, and found the idea of physics there too intimidating. She was annoyed with herself for doing it, but feels she made the right decision. I'm not sure, but hey ho.

Just asked DS about this, and he says there are 2 girls out of 30 in his A-level Physics group. His (very, very) bright friend was put off taking it because on touring the sixth form last year, she could only spot one girl in the lab.

Sigh...

I not only did Physics, but the first year of a physics and Astro degree (hence my user name).

But it wasn't much fun, it became almost neat maths. I hadn't done further Maths or even got a brilliant ordinary A Level. I was sunk.

I didn't want to be an engineer like my Dad, but I thought I wanted to do something women didn't do. I never minded being one of only two girls.

In the end. I became a biologist (fortunately I'd twisted the HTs arm to do 4 A levels)

I'd done Biology for fun, the degree course was fun too! Varied and interesting.

That the problem with Physics, sexist though it is, that sort of dry abstract detail doesn't hold most girls concentration.

Yes, I like biochemistry, genetics and the technical end of biology rather than ecology. But even the most intricate workings of a cell are linked to medicine and the real world.

To be fair though seeker, it depends on the girls. Dd thought she would be the only girl at one point, but isn't (her friend is the only girl in another physics group). I just asked her how many girls there were in her class and she wasn't sure (3 or 4 she thought), however she doesn't sit with them and it wouldn't bother her unduly if they weren't there, but obviously not all girls feel the same.

More worrying than the social aspect is the underlying assumption that girls can't do/are no good at physics that the figures perpetuate.

I heard this and it saddened me. I did Physics A-Level, back when it was still the norm to do Physics, Pure Maths and Applied Maths at A-level. Not sure what they do these days as I don't think that Maths is divided into two subjects?

It really saddened me as physics is such a great subject. I can't remember doing any science at Primary school, but after the age of 9 it was all chemicals and explosions, lots of fun for kids, and we spent many happy hours between the ages of 9-18 learning stuff and having a great time doing it. Somewhere in amongst the fun we learned stuff too.

DD's school combine sciences in with the main lesson (it's Steiner) but they do get to do really interesting blowing-up/building stuff type of lessons that kids love so much and I think that's why a lot of their pupils do choose science A-levels.

I don't know how true it is, but a science teacher told me that a lot of comprehensive/state schools no longer did the fun bits of science because the schools didn't have time to prepare the risk assessments required to do them, so many pupils only ever got to watch experiments either on video or from the other side of a large perspex screen, to keep them safe. If science isn't fun then why is any pupil, male or female, going to want to do it?

"Why does it matter, beng the only girl in the class?"

Do you know any teenage girls?

What radio station was it on Himalaya? Dd was supposed to be being interviewed by the radio about girls in Physics this morning and I'd assumed it was the local one. In the end she's at home coughing like mad and barely able to speak instead.

Probably just as well as she usually jokingly says 'the odds are good, but the goods are odd'!

Why does it matter, beng the only girl in the class?

My son is doing A level physics at a non-selective state school and there is one girl in the class. The same only girl who is in his futher maths class. And the classes for 3 of the four subjects he's picked comprise fewer than 8 pupils to one teacher. That's a much better ratio than is offered at most private schools.

Isn't physics supposed to be the hardest A level? Perhas they need to make it a bit easier.

I put masculine in "." to show that I don't think they are so but that they are often described that way by the press/public.

By 'feminine' I was thinking about languages which are done by more girls than boys.

I did French and Physics and found French to be much more useful long term.

Oh, that's rotten whistle.

I hated using burners too - I was paranoid about the smell of gas and we had a teacher who used to open the window so they flames would blow out if you were next to it!

We did stuff with 'floating and sinking' in reception, though, your teacher sounds dead cheeky!

Its a bit misleading to say that half of state schools have no girls doing A-level Physics when many state secondary schools do not offer A-level physics.

I was at primary school around the same time as whistles (slightly earlier). The only 'science' I can remember us doing was being told in top Juniors that "animals breathe in oxygen and breathe out carbon dioxide; plants breathe in carbon dioxide and breathe out oxygen", which was a bad enough distortion of the truth to be actively unhelpful.

The DCs do loads of science, though - a big improvement.

LRD I was at primary school from 1977-1984. I remember just before we left our teacher said we would be conducting a science experiment as we would be taught science at secondary school. We then went on to conduct a floating experiment with paper boats and a bowl of water. Ds did something similar in reception. We were 11.

When we went to secondary school science lessons for the first term consisted of conducting experiments using Bunsen burners. I have dyspraxia and couldn't even set the Bunsen burner up so I was at a disadvantage as I would never even get to conduct the experiment. I switched off from science before I had even got started.

I don't think that physics and maths are discrete subjects at A-level (or Bacc, or whatever) - hence the huge difficulties pupils encounter when they are decoupled.

seeker and Bonsoir. I agree physics is fascinating and fantastic and I utterly adored it at GCSE level. A-level (for me) was an entirely different kettle of fish. It beacme very very maths heavy, which I really struggled with as I wasn't doing maths A-level, and all those lovely fun experiments and revelations I had at aged 15 seemed to become swamped and dulled by endless, heinous equations.

Personal opinion of course and does little to explain why physics & maths subjects are chosen by fewer young women that men.

fwiw I couldn't (or would have struggled) have got into my chosen degree if I had done physics and maths. So I wonder if university preferred A-level choices result in the subject not being taken up (seeing as studying maths as well is recommended).

DD2 is very good at Physics, and it is on her list to do at AS/A2 along with Chemistry and Maths. However the open day at our local sixth form co-ed college put her off a bit, as the classes are very male dominated, and the tutor said that some of the girls struggled with a lack of confidence, and were more likely to drop out. Classes were 20 in size, and they did try to guarantee that no girl would be the only girl in her class.

She is currently at a single sex independent school - and Physics is a key issue in our decision whether we keep her there, but that won't be easy financially, and the college does have a very good reputation and is nearer.

Margery yes there is a point. Physics helped with the physical chemistry when I did A level, as opposed to organic chemistry. And it was just very interesting .

More generally as I start to look at secondaries now DS1 is in Year 5 I am depressed by the fact that in our local academic, OFSTED outstanding comp, far more kids do A levels that I don't remember existing when I was at school rather than the "Traditional" subjects, including physics.

"Is there any point taking physics though if you don't want to do a physics degree/become a physics teacher?"

Because physics is exciting, fascinating, wonderful, magical, spiritual, mind boggling..........and is helping to understand the enormous questions in life!

Why would you not want to take physics!!!!!!!!

Physics is a fantastic subject with masses of real life applications for everyone. Sadly, because of the way it is introduced at school (too late), the window of opportunity for getting to grips with it is largely lost to most children.

Is there any point taking physics though if you don't want to do a physics degree/become a physics teacher?

Maybe we need to change tact and value 'feminine' subjects and encourage boys to take them rather than pushing girls into highly valued 'masculine' subjects?

No science at all at primary school? When did you go to school, if you don't mind me asking?

We did loads of science, partly because we were lucky enough to have one teacher whose degree was in science (Chemistry, IIRC).

I nearly did Physics A Level but got put off because we were told we'd do the syllabus that focussed more on electronics and there was a more interesting-sounding one that the boys' school did. Then the year below me they organized for girls who wanted to do that syllabus to swap in with the boys' school classes! So I guess they bucked this trend of girls in co-ed situations not going for physics.

Does anyone know what the gender distribution of teachers is?

I'd done AO maths after O-level, which I think would have covered a fair bit of the Maths requirement.

Actually actually what I should have done given that I wound up doing a degree subject completely unrelated to A-levels was to drop both Maths and Physics and do English and History alongside the Biology and Chemistry. But I thought I might like to do a science degree at the time.

The biggest challenge to wiring DD's doll house is going to be the instructions (in German...). My German is up to ordering the bits we need online. DP has the physics skills (in French). Ho hum. We need a German and French speaking wiring assistant!