BOYS and girls should be taught separately to beat the " macho, laddish" culture that stops boys learning, say researchers.
They found teaching boys and girls separately for some subjects helped boys concentrate on their lessons and score better exam grades.
They said: "Many girls and boys feel more at ease in such classes, feel more able to interact with learning and to show real interest without inhibition, and often achieve more highly as a result."
Cambridge University researchers Mike Younger and Molly Warrington, who carried out the four-year project for the Government in 50 schools, said listening to the children's opinion and looking at their academic records made the evidence "persuasive".
The Department for Education ordered the research in an attempt to close the continuing gap between girls and boys.
Every year, girls outperform boys at GCSE and in primary school tests, with few signs that the gap is narrowing.
In 2003, around 10 per cent more girls than boys gained five or more A* to C GCSE grades. More than six per cent of boys leave school with no GCSEs.
David Miliband, then Schools Minister, last year backed the idea of single sex classes.
The Education Department said yesterday a range of policies were in place to deal with the problem.
It added: "We want schools to learn from the best of both single sex and co-education."
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