The New Culture Forum Proudly Presents
The Dangerous Event for Boys
Has education become too feminised?
A discussion with Hal Iggulden (author of The Dangerous Book for Boys), Anthony Seldon, Ray Lewis, Sue Gyde, and Spencer Drury.
Monday 24th September, 6:30 for 7:00pm The Ideas Space, Clutha House, 10 Storey’s Gate, Westminster , SW1P 3AY
THE DANGEROUS EVENT FOR BOYS will address the burning issue of what the Daily Telegraph recently called ‘the crisis in British schools: the failure to educate boys.’
From the huge shortage of male teachers, to the replacement of competitive exams with risk-free coursework, the removal of boy-friendly content in politically-correct textbooks and the compulsory discussion of feelings, Britain ’s education system is said to overly favour the natural instincts of girls. No wonder, say the critics, girls now vastly outperform boys in our schools. Boys can only succeed these days by being… girls.
The runaway success of The Dangerous Book for Boys suggests boys still long to be boys. But in our schools, male characteristics are being reclassified as behavioural disorders. Is a unisex approach to teaching and a feminine bias in the classroom betraying Britain ’s disengaged boys? Or are boys and girls really just identical – and do boys need to grow up and get with the programme?
The Dangerous Event for Boys will also consider the wider implications for society of a feminised culture in which male role models are increasingly rare. If boys can no longer be boys, can men still be men – or is it just coincidence that men are now routinely portrayed on television and in adverts as thick and feckless?
Hal Iggulden is co-author of The Dangerous Book for Boys, which has sold over a million copies.
Anthony Seldon is Master of Wellington College and a biographer of Tony Blair. He is the pioneer of Happiness Classes in schools
Ray Lewis is Founder and Executive Director of the groundbreaking Eastside Young Leader’s Academy
Sue Gyde has been teaching since the mid 1970's and has always been in the forefront of inclusive and interactive education. She is now Senior Advisor for Secondary School Improvement for one of the most successful boroughs in the country.
Spencer Drury is a teacher at Colfe’s, an independent boys school in South East London, and is Leader of the Conservatives on Greenwich Borough Council.
The discussion will be followed by a Q&A session. We hope you can join us.
RSVP to prwhittle@btopenworld.com or events@newcultureforum.org.uk