Education

Teenage girls all over the country talk to Catherine Carr about their school lives.

She hears their take on their behaviour and the behaviour of their male classmates at school, the importance of aspiration and their understanding of increased opportunities for girls and women in 2025. They also talk about missing school because of anxiety, mental health or caring responsibilities.

Catherine visits a school which is tackling the absenteeism of white working class girls and trying to raise awareness of their increasingly poor academic performance.

Thanks to:
Ola Demkowicz, University of Manchester
North Birmingham Academy
Wimbledon High School for girls
Fionnuala Kennedy
The Girls Day school Trust
The Times Educational Supplement
ACT academy trust
Tom Campbell
Bina Dharia
Dance United Yorkshire
Helen Linsell
Young Minds
South Dartmoor Community College
Sutton High School for girls

Producer: Catherine Carr
Researcher: Jill Achineku
Executive Producer: David Prest

A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4