Boys left behind at school while girls get trip

[Quickchat1]

Recently my sons class went on an educational trip to a local university. But only the girls. The boys were left behind with a cover teacher listening to music and generally doing very little. My son is GCSE year and would have benefited from a computing and science event. No it was only for the girls with no mention of anything for the boys. I understand this was a STEM event for girls only but if there was a STEM event for boys only there would be uproar! AIBU?

Sebearhug agreed most people seem to think IT is coding and only coding. There’s a lot of jobs where not much if any coding is involved.

Boo freakin' hoo. Get a grip.

My husband is an engineer in a mid sized company. Up until very recently there were two women in the company. One who worked on reception and one in HR. Of course girls need encouraging into STEM subjects.

I worked at a heritage railway, by day as the curator of the museum but as a volunteer int he workshop. The ONLY way I got the men to accept me was to prove I could keep up, work hard and heft metal with the rest of them. Those days were fun. But women who weren’t comfortable talking trains were really looked down on by them.

Pressed post too early.

By the time they made me redundant (at a crisis point in my life no less) I was the only woman volunteer in the workshop and one of only three in the organisation

What a lovely last post.

I still think we need to know more and March is too late to be missing lessons in the run up to GCSEs. Poor time management.

I still maintain it is too late. The ‘you just need to be good st maths’belief to be good at coding is incorrect. There is an element of problem solving and creativity. Yes skills that give you a leg up if experienced at primary hence the primary push on coding.You also need to enjoy it, many don’t.Many people good at maths won’t be suitable or like it. All 3 of my dc are very strong at maths but 1 won’t be doing Comp Sci GCSE or A as it isn’t for them. They’ll be focusing on other Stem sectors with the GCSE choices to support that and further Alevels.Missing out on GCSE computer science before taking an Alevel in it is a huge gamble and would put you in at a disadvantage. Making a precious A level choice on something you’d never experienced previously would be bonkers. Triple science would also give you an afvantage in science Alevels and yes a strong maths grade would be needed at Alevel. Encouraging anybody to think and switch to Stem Alevels 3 months before GCSEs is far too late.

Bit of shit organisation for the girls involved. I’d be livid to discover triple science or computer science GCSEs would have been useful 3 months before taking them. I also think having the motivation to work harder at crucial GCSEs should come at the beginning of the course not at the end.

We also need more context before we start the competitive burning bras and nasty posts. There are shortages all over the sector and boys should be encouraged too. Did they all go on something previously? As has mentioned poor white boys should be a priority too as seriously under represented in unis full stop. Has provision been made for them? I don’t think wealthier girls should come before poor white boys. Both should have provision. What has there been? Would be helpful if the op came back to clarify.

I was referring to Livers post, not the last 3.

STEM subjects desperately need women!
Perhaps the school could organise a trip for the boys to learn about careers in nursing, midwifery and traditional female caring roles - where boys are massively underrepresented.

They should have not been left to muck about though.

I very much doubt that they were left to muck about.

Bit of shit organisation for the girls involved. I’d be livid to discover triple science or computer science GCSEs would have been useful 3 months before taking them. I also think having the motivation to work harder at crucial GCSEs should come at the beginning of the course not at the end

Schools don't get to order conferences, etc. to suit themselves. Also schools have a schedule of excursions which have to be approved so it's equitable.

It’s a shame it couldn’t have been on the same day. Would be nice to see more men in primary teaching too.

Then surely they could pick a better one. My dd’s school did the Stem encouragement back in years 7,8 and 9.

Not sure why it would be nice to see more men.

Anyway, they don't do badly in primary:

schoolsweek.co.uk/men-get-promoted-more-quickly-and-4-other-findings-from-new-school-leadership-research/

It surely goes further than a shiny conference too. My dd’s school does assemblies, visiting speakers, work shops.....

There aren’t enough men in primary teaching. My boys only had one male teacher their entire primary education. Some of their friends didn’t have one. I think a male primary teacher can be a good role model for boys.

All these people saying 'what about events to get boys into nursing, teaching, etc.' what's stopping men from setting these up?

Or are women expected to sort all that kind of thing out for them?

No but society often infers they are jobs more suited to women. Encouraging men would be a positive thing.

Nothing actually stopping women going into Stem jobs either.

Unless the only they encouragement they get is a stem conference 3 months before GCSEs.

mathanxiety
The coalition government decimated careers education and guidance in schools. Young people have had to rely on teachers and parents who, in most cases, are not best placed to offer advice and guidance.

There is currently a huge push to improve it... The implementation of Gatsby Benchmarks will go a long way in doing this. There is an emphasis on links with employers, colleges, universities and apprenticeship providers.

However, there is currently a national shortage of qualified careers adviser ( qualified to a level 6 or above) and what we actually need to be teaching young people are career management skills - it's impossible for anyone to know a great deal about every single job. We need to be teaching young people where to find that information and how to interpret and link that information to their own interests and qualifications.
It's not just about teaching young people about jobs.....how do you manage that in class of 30 people all interested in something different?

All these people saying 'what about events to get boys into nursing, teaching, etc.' what's stopping men from setting these up? Or are women expected to sort all that kind of thing out for them?

There's nothing stopping men bar the money. Pay top dollar and you'd be beating off the male applicants with a shitty stick.

No but society often infers they are jobs more suited to women. Encouraging men would be a positive thing

Men are over represented as HTs in primary compared with their presence overall.

Nothing actually stopping women going into Stem jobs either

Not like barbed wire, if that's what you mean. But if, as a corollary you could show an over-representation of women in high positions in STEM that matches that of men as HTs in primary schools, I'd be glad to see it.

Though not holding my breath.

I agree with a pp they should have took the boys to a mainly female workplace like a nursery setting or care home sorry it's early and I can't think of any other roles.

Men are over represented in primary in headships but under represented in teaching. Which makes it worse.More male primary teachers and TAs would be a good thing.Talking about primary not secondary.

Then surely they could pick a better one. My dd’s school did the Stem encouragement back in years 7,8 and 9.
Nothing to say this school didn't. This could have been to encourage girls to consider stem for A levels.

I agree with a pp they should have took the boys to a mainly female workplace like a nursery setting or care home

To show them what kind of job you can do if you're really happy to earn a pittance?

I agree with a pp they should have took the boys to a mainly female workplace like a nursery setting or care home

To show them what kind of job you can do if you're really happy to earn a pittance?

But if more men were doing those jobs, they'd probably become more valued and the wages would go up.