A government social mobility adviser has been criticised for saying girls are less likely to choose physics A-level because it involves “hard maths”.
Head teacher Katharine Birbalsingh told MPs it was not a subject girls “tend to fancy”, adding: “I just think they don’t like it.”
She said 16% of A-level physics pupils at her school were girls, but she wasn’t “campaigning” for this to go up.
The Institute of Physics (IOP) said it was alarmed by the comments.
Liberal Democrat education spokeswoman Munira Wilson also called on Ms Birbalsingh to apologise for her remarks.