Who is better behaved in the classroom - boys or girls? Flegg High School in Martham thinks it has the answers after a survey revealed that some teachers may have been unfair to focus on the unruly behaviour of male pupils.

Who is better behaved in the classroom - boys or girls?

Flegg High School in Martham thinks it has the answers after a survey revealed that some teachers may have been unfair to focus on the unruly behaviour of male pupils.

According to pupils and staff the vast majority - 77pc - believe girls get away with more in lessons. And it may come as no surprise that 93pc think that girls are neater than boys.

The survey is part of an ambitious school project to see why girls at Flegg High continue to get better GCSE results than their male counterparts.

As well as the perception that girls can misbehave in their classroom without being punished, the Are Boys Smarter than Girls film project has revealed that GCSEs may not be geared properly for practically- minded boys.

The project was set up after a 2008 Ofsted report noted that “girls continue to achieve better than boys, which reflects the national trend, but the gap between boys' and girls' attainment in 2007 was too wide”.

Deputy headteacher Mike Ward agreed that boys were underachieving compared to girls because of peer pressure and the need to change the way GCSEs are taught. But he firmly refuted suggestions that girls were treated better than boys.

He said: “I disagree with that fact and would be very, very surprised if any of my teachers acted like that.”

Other survey results showed that only 24pc thought boys were brighter than girls and 77pc said that girls were better at doing what they have been told.

It is hoped the Are Boys Smarter than Girls documentary will be premiered in Norwich in June and that copies could be sent to schools across the region.