Jane Whinnett, head of the Balgreen Nursery School in Edinburgh, said, 'I believe any lagging behind among boys is more likely to be because they have been pushed into more structured learning too early, rather than too late.'
Ms Whinnett, who is also Scotland's representative for Early Education (BAECE), was responding to the findings of a report by academics which suggested that the gap in achievement in Scottish girls and boys dated from the mid-1970s and was manifested at pre-school. The report said it should be tackled at an early stage.
Dr Linda Croxford, who wrote the report, Gender and Performance in Scotland's Schools, with fellow University of Edinburgh academics Teresa Tinklin, Alan Ducklin and Barbara Frame, called for rigorous testing of children as soon as they start school to help teachers monitor problems.
Their study, carried out between October 1999 and January this year, involved six secondary schools in different parts of Scotland and their associated primary schools.
The report said that there was 'evidence of gender differences at all stages of school education. As early as pre-school (ages four to five), the national baseline assessment found that more girls than boys were rated highly by their teachers on personal, social and emotional development; physical co-ordination; expressive communication; listening and talking; reading and writing; mathematics and understanding the environment.' Ms Whinnett warned that it was important to adapt to the learning styles of each individual child. 'If boys are forced into a particular way of learning too early they will get turned off or become very anxious,' she said.
Boys, she said, tended to learn in a more physical way than girls.
Pre-schools, with outdoor facilities a central part of the curriculum, were well placed to further learning in this way.
She added, 'The fact that boys are usually confronted with a female role model at nursery could also be a factor. Whatever the reason for any gap, we should avoid gross generalisations, treat every child as an individual and channel their learning in the most appropriate way to them.' Dolores O'Donnell, operations director of Scotland's largest nursery chain, Careshare, said the group ensured that activities were not gender-specific and children were encouraged to be involved in all aspects of play.
'We see as many girls as boys in free-choice, rough-and-tumble activities and as many boys as girls in our "house corners". We prefer to take a holistic approach which involves all aspects of children's development,' she said.
Gender and Performance in Scotland's Schools is available on the Scottish Executive website, www.scotland.gov.uk.
