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One idea that needs to be shown the red card

One idea that needs to be
shown the red card

 By Christine Skelton    issues here: first, boys are not all   
  the same and so not all are likely
1    THIS SUMMER'S GCSE results to respond to the emphasis on
 showing girls' success generated football; and second, football
 another flurry of newspaper head- is not "just a game".
 lines on "failing boys", following7 Even a cursory glance at
 as it did hot on the heels of the studies of boys and education
 news that girls were now getting a shows the various ways
 higher proportion of A grades at football is played out. A study
 A-level. carried out in the North-east
2    The Government is clearly in the 1970s of a group of
 taking this matter very seriously, white, secondary-age, working-
 with David Blunkett announcing class boys showed that11    Then there are the studies of
 that local education authorities although they spent every both primary and secondary
 must take steps to address the unsupervised moment playing schools where girls are actively
 "laddish culture" which prevents the game, all attempts by the excluded. These attempts to
 boys from achieving. Mr Blunkett school to motivate the boys exclude vary. For example when
 believes that laddish attitudes to through football were strongly each class is given only one ball
 school have arisen because of resisted. Playing football for to play with at breaktimes, boys
 boys' "lack of self-confidence the school was seen by them as adopt strategies to monopolise the
 and opportunity", and one means colluding. ball. Similarly, girls frequently
 of raising their self-esteem and8    More recently, in interviews report how they feel that some
 increasing their motivation with 10-year-old boys regarded as male teachers collude with the
 towards education is through "star" players in a primary school boys to keep the game an all-male
 giving football a central place. which gave a high profile to foot- preserve.
3    The Government has put money ball, it emerged that the boys12    Football is the national sport
 into two initiatives: Playing for were, literally, playing the sys- and should be included in the cur-
 Success is part of the Government's tem. They regularly received riculum of schools. But to regard
 £200m Study Support strategy and accolades as part of the school it simply as the way of tackling
 involves clubs providing premises team and got out of homework by "the problem of boys and school-
 and perks for boys who do one or playing after-school matches. ing" is naive. Not all boys have
 two sessions a week enhancing9    And what about the boys who the same interests and even those
 their literacy, numeracy and IT are not good at football? Numer- who do have a passion for foot-
 skills. ous studies of both primary and ball are not going to allow it to be
4    It is also backing a fantasy secondary schools report how appropriated by school.
 football league "to make maths boys are aware that their popula-13    Also, far from being inclu-
 fun and end the innumeracy of rity is often reliant on their skill at sive, football can marginalise
 many of Britain's soccer- football. entire groups on the grounds of
 obsessed children".10    Several studies of primary cultural background, gender and
5    It is ironic then that the schools have shown how football sexuality.
 Government has just launched a offers opportunities for racist14    If the Government is serious
 scheme to combat football hooli- taunts, where lunch-time football about addressing the "laddish
 gans travelling abroad. On the games of ethnically mixed teams culture" it sees as prevalent in our
 one hand, there are moves to of boys play amicably until fights schools, then utilising a "laddish"
 counter the extremes to which break out due to the vague rules. game will inevitably be counter-
 some football fans will go, while, These fights usually occur productive.
 on the other, steps are being taken between boys from different
 to encourage boys to get involved ethnic groups, and sides are taken 'The Independent'
 more in football. according to ethnicity.
6    There are two fundamental