We must be careful not to label all boys with a particular style or set of learning behaviours. But while every learner is unique, specific pupil groups (boys, girls, G&T, EAL, SEN etc.) can exhibit common features. Intuitively and analytically you may recognise the following as typical male learning needs:

• to look, move about, talk, joke, ask lots of questions
• to have structure and a 'pecking order'
• to have bite-size learning
• to learn in teams rather than groups
• to avoid 'hard work' with charm and cunning
• to leave it till the last minute

Boys are inherently successful, they just lack the opportunities to show it publicly in a curriculum and assessment system mis-matched to their expectations. If boys, generally, are good at X, Y and Z and like to show you through method A, then why do we insist on measuring them on P, Q, R through method B?

Thankfully the thinking and resources are already in place to exploit boys' motivation to succeed. All that's needed is our commitment to change our practice and take a creative professional risk. But it's not really a risk is it? Enriched practice for boys is enriched practice all round.