SecEd's research round-up for March includes news of falling MFL take-up among boys, continuing problems with the STEM gender gap, and a mental health warning for pupils spending too much time sitting down

The number of boys taking a foreign language at GCSE has dropped to fewer than four in 10.

In 2018, 38 per cent of boys studied a language at GCSE, compared to 50 per cent of girls. Girls were also more than twice as likely as boys to get a good grade.

The research, published by the British Council, revealed that languages are “the only EBacc subject pillar to have a significant gender divide”.

The report, written by Bobbie Mills from the Education Policy Institute and Teresa Tinsley, said that “being male, disadvantaged, or having SEN makes a pupil less likely, on average, to achieve a Grade 4 or above in a modern foreign language GCSE”.

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