Generating data from small group interviews with 41 boys aged 10-11 years from two London schools in 2022, this paper contributes to the field of gender by introducing a new form of non-hegemonic and positive masculinity, which I am calling 'blended' masculinity, and which was the most common formation in each school. Although its features…

This open access book explores young children's lives in their later years at primary school, from their own point of view. It focuses on how girls and boys experience life in their informal peer group and explores the dynamics of friendships and social hierarchies, identities and how time is spent outside of lessons, including the use of social…

The past two decades has seen widespread academic and public concern about boys' academic achievement and the emergence of discourses that identify girls as academic 'winners' in the primary classroom; however, this article aims to problematise these trends. Drawing on ethnographic research carried out in a primary school classroom in London, this…

In recent years, male students at UK schools and universities have been falling behind their female peers in academic achievement. Previous studies have shown that male students are less likely than female students to seek academic help, but have not investigated the relationship between gender-typical attitudes and reluctance to seek academic…