Colman Noctor: Do secondary school merit points favour girls over boys?

"A 2024 review found that girls receive better classroom grades, despite achieving comparable standardised scores, mainly because teachers value non-cognitive skills — such as organisation, neatness, and cooperation — that girls are socialised to develop."

"A 2024 review found that girls receive better classroom grades, despite achieving comparable standardised scores, mainly because teachers value non-cognitive skills — such as organisation, neatness, and cooperation — that girls are socialised to develop."

I RECENTLY spoke to a polite and articulate 15-year-old boy who told me he had earned a total of 15 merit points since starting secondary school three years ago. His younger sister, only three months into her first year, had already accumulated 55 merit points. He complained that his parents had started comparing him negatively to his sibling. While defending his behaviour in class, he described what he saw as a system that worked in favour of girls.

Many schools use merit-point systems to recognise good behaviour, effort, or “positive citizenship”. Designed to motivate students, these systems often seem fair. However, increasing evidence suggests they can unintentionally advantage girls, not because girls are better behaved, but because they reward traits more commonly socialised and accepted in girls.