Girls worried about failing in schools

Nearly half of all girls from lower income backgrounds live with a fear of failing at school, a study has claimed.

According to the Equality and Human Rights Commission's Staying On report, this worry could be caused by a strict focus on achievement and the lack of alternative study options.

The report revealed that while only 28 per cent of boys from middle class backgrounds feared failure, 46 per cent of girls from lower socio-economic groups remained worried.

Special needs teachers may be interested to know that this figure was higher for children with disabilities - more than half of these children said they were concerned they would not be able to achieve what is expected of them.

"We have to get to grips with tackling these worrying barriers for certain young people," said commission chair, Trevor Phillips.

Mr Phillips called for a re-think of how pupils' aspirations could be better realised.

"These are precious years where we must build confidence in our young people to achieve their goals rather than perpetuate an environment of fear or stereotyping," he added.

A special needs teaching assistant commonly works with a mixed class, but focuses their attention towards students with special education needs.

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