Schools have been told they must report on children's puberty
development. Due to growing concern about the gap between girls and boys
interventions are recommended to bring boys into line. Special gifted and
talented groups are to be formed for High achievers who reach puberty at nine.
Special tests are being developed to identify slow puberty achievers who are to
be put on the action plus register and given extra support to reach
puberty and catch up with their peers. Teachers are required to report to
parents on a continuum which shows whether or not their children are below or
above average for their cohort. It is important that parents can compare their
child with others of the same age. Puberty tests are being prepared and will be
administered to all children in year 6 for this purpose. The government has
announced targets for schools. 80% of all children will be expected to reach
puberty by age 12. This can be adjusted for boys who are known to mature more
slowly. However, this does not mean that schools can opt out of recommended
strategies to accelerate their development. Ofsted will be required to inspect
school's attainment in puberty and results will form part of the league table
results so parents can choose schools who achieve highly in this area.
Critiques claim that children can reach puberty at any time between 9-15 and
say actions to accelerate puberty before children are developmentally ready can
cause damage to children's self-esteem and confidence and impact on their
neurological pathways. . A government spokesman says such 'trendy left'
thinking will lead to British children falling behind in international league
tables. "It is clear that those whose puberty is given attention at an
earlier age make greater progress and all teachers need to ensure recommended
practices are followed." A spokesperson for the teachers' unions said they
were concerned that such high stakes testing would lead to children who were
not meeting the targets for puberty being medicated so schools could meet their
targets. Psychologists warn that interfering with children's natural
development in this way will distort our understanding of child development.
Guidance on how to ensure your school meets the new targets are available on
the DES website.