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Episode details

Radio 4,15 Apr 2026,13 mins

3. Education

About the Girls

Available for over a year

Teenage girls all over the country talk to Catherine Carr about their school lives. She hears their take on their behaviour and the behaviour of their male classmates at school, the importance of aspiration and their understanding of increased opportunities for girls and women in 2025. They also talk about missing school because of anxiety, mental health or caring responsibilities. Catherine visits a school which is tackling the absenteeism of white working class girls and trying to raise awareness of their increasingly poor academic performance. Thanks to: Ola Demkowicz, University of Manchester North Birmingham Academy Wimbledon High School for girls Fionnuala Kennedy The Girls Day school Trust The Times Educational Supplement ACT academy trust Tom Campbell Bina Dharia Dance United Yorkshire Helen Linsell Young Minds South Dartmoor Community College Sutton High School for girls Producer: Catherine Carr Researcher: Jill Achineku Executive Producer: David Prest A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4

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