Attracting Girls into Mathematics
Case Study: Beauchamp College
UCL IOE’s research project for the Further Mathematics Support Programme selected this school and four others as
successful in attracting girls to study A–level mathematics. The factors behind girls’ participation were explored in
focus groups with teachers and Year 11 and 12 girls at the school, then compared with the other cases and findings
from research to identify what were the shared strengths and how they worked in local contexts.
“Girls take maths needless of their gender; there's no need for positive discrimination in this college because it's
such a good department that girls and boys both take maths” (Year 11 student).
Beauchamp College is a large, popular comprehensive 14-18 converter Academy of about 2000 pupils. The majority
of students come from established minority ethnic groups and the area is relatively advantaged economically. Over
25% of girls studying A-Levels in the college take Mathematics, and there is a strong expectation that all girls in the
top sets will do so plus more from second and third sets. An average 1-2% take Further Mathematics, and several
start AS Further Mathematics in year 13 in preparation for science and economics degrees.
Girls feel well-known and valued, and have
reasons to trust teachers’ assurances that they
will succeed
Teaching at the school makes many Key Stage 4
students feel that participation is expected,
personally achievable and pleasurable. A fifth of the
cohort complete a level 2 Further Maths qualification
alongside GCSE and this is explicitly framed by
teachers as the beginning of A-level study. Teachers
and girls use Year 11 experience as evidence that
they can already work at A-level standard. Teachers
aim to build girls’ confidence in particular, in lessons
and through personal advice, offering emotional
support alongside challenging messages such as ‘it’s
OK to get it wrong’, ‘you shouldn’t always be in
control of it’; ‘it won’t be easy but you are capable’.
Teachers provide flexible opportunities for
students to build and check understanding
Students enjoy mathematics lessons for the
purposeful classroom environment enlivened by
discussion. They expect to think for
themselves, but appreciate when the teacher
motivates them or is “playful” by introducing real
life connections, historical anecdotes or
puzzles. Students feel that teachers are
accessible for discussing mathematics both in
and out of lessons: “our teacher is the one who
runs maths society. He usually tells us the
problem as an extension at the end of the
lesson. Or he’ll tell us a problem at the
beginning sometimes and then everybody just
talks about it in the lesson...like how do you do
this? Like whilst doing their work kind of thing.”
Maths input into careers advice
There is a conscious departmental
message about the future utility of
mathematics that is promoted through
extensive corridor displays and speakers on
open days, starting on entry in Year 10:
“these people have studied maths and this
is what they do; and this is what you can
do. Trying to show them how many more
jobs perhaps require a certain level of
mathematics that they wouldn't necessarily
assume was the case.” The emphasis on
diversity of careers and mathematical topics
(rather than only elite options) matches
recommendations from research. By Year
11 girls have specific career aims and know
how mathematics can help them.