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Original poster

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

391 replies

Himalaya · 03/10/2012 08:46

Shock

Just listening on the radio. Sad

Thoughts? Experience? Ideas?

OP posts:
whistlestopcafe · 03/10/2012 09:19

I agree with Bonsoir. We didn't cover any science subjects at primary school at all.

mnistooaddictive · 03/10/2012 09:19

The majority of students do 4 AS levels and then 3 at A2.

Slubberdegullion · 03/10/2012 09:18

Thanks mnistooaddictive.

How many A-levels do young people sit these days? (parent of primary school dc)

Bonsoir · 03/10/2012 09:18

DD (7) has a great German dolls house and we are going to wire it for electricity this winter - she is very keen and it will be a great introduction to physics.

Slubberdegullion · 03/10/2012 09:16

Interesting Casey. I did physics without maths A-level and in hindsight I should have either both or neither.

mnistooaddictive · 03/10/2012 09:16

Yes it is slubber.

Slubberdegullion · 03/10/2012 09:14

Is it still the case that if you do physics A-level you are strongly recommended to do maths as well?

CaseyShraeger · 03/10/2012 09:13

How many boys do those schools have doing Physics A-level? It's not a great statistic, no doubt about that, but that would help identify how bad it is.

I didn't do A-level Physics because no one at O-level stage could explain to me properly what a volt actually was. It did click for me when doing A-level Chemistry, but it was a bit late by then. Also because I didn't want to drop History and already had Maths/Chemistry/Biology locked in. With the benefit of hindsight, I should probably have done Physics instead of Maths. And our Physics teacher smelled funny, which to be fair isn't really a matter for education policy.

mnistooaddictive · 03/10/2012 09:12

Sorry, try that again. She did lots of physics in reception and loved it. Magnets and iron fillings, forces of motion etc. I would expect her to love physics though as she is like me!

mnistooaddictive · 03/10/2012 09:11

Bonsoir, that in interesting. My dd did lots of physics in tece

mnistooaddictive · 03/10/2012 09:09

I was taught physics in a single sex class in a mixed school in the 80s. I hated it. To make it viable, our class was mixed ability and a lot of us felt frustrated at being held back by the slow pace of teaching due to some if the class not understanding. I would never choose it voluntarily. It may be interesting to see how many schools have no boys studying physics as I think it may also be higher than we think.

seeker · 03/10/2012 09:09

What are the figures for private schools?

Bonsoir · 03/10/2012 09:08

The really big problem with physics is that it needs to be introduced much earlier on in the curriculum (early primary years) before all the misconceptions set in that are so hard to unlearn.

Original poster
Himalaya · 03/10/2012 09:05

Thing is physics is such a minority subject at A level anyway, not sure many schools could run two streams?

Maybe earlier on, before girls drop out of it?

OP posts:
ramonaquimby · 03/10/2012 09:03

coed secondary schools should think about offering single sex classes for subjects like Physics. they would have a much higher take up - am sure I've seen stats like that in the past.
imo of course

EmmelineGoulden · 03/10/2012 09:00

Half of all co-ed state schools. Girls from single sex schools much (150%) more likely to study A-level physics than their co-ed counterparts.

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