This we are told was achieved by providing more money for extra lessons for boys, replacing female teachers with male ones, as there were not enough male role models - although the majority of headteachers and directors are male.

We are told that boy-friendly books and exams brought this about. One wonders if that made the exams and reading material available less girl-friendly.

However, it is nice to see that boys, now they are getting 98 per cent of the attention instead of the usual 70 per cent of teaching time are finally doing well in literacy.

I take it that, as we are told that girls do not fare as well as boys in science and maths, in the next year extra lessons for girls will be provided in these subjects, along with more female role models replacing the mostly male ones, and that the schools will be receiving girl-friendly books and exams, of course.

As schools are supposed to be bastions of equal opportunity for all, one hopes the coming year will spell the end of the science and history books that would have us believe that everything was invented and done by white males.

Perhaps we can now look forward to a true history and not a continuation of the misinformation that can even be found in the millennium hype.

There are many people from other ethnic groups that also, like women, invented and achieved great things.

The whole history of Africa, Asia and South America, like that of women, does not all begin and end with their enforced slavery by white males.

I trust that as education is for all we will not be disappointed in this coming year of promise as we have too often in the past.

Margaret Kerbey

73 Woolton Road

Garston, Liverpool