Gender Patterns in A level Religious Studies 2025: Entries and Performance

RS Entries Continue to Show a Strong Female Majority
In England, 14,268 students took A level RS in 2025. Of these, 71% were female (10,064 entries) and 29% male (4,204 entries).

In Wales, the gender skew was even more pronounced. Out of 737 entries, 77% were female (565 entries) compared with 23% male (172 entries).

Relative Performance: Boys and Girls in RS
When it comes to outcomes, RS stands out. While entry is dominated by girls, performance at the top grades is almost identical. In 2025, 25.7% of girls achieved A*-A compared with 25.1% of boys. This contrasts with other subjects: in Psychology, girls achieved 22% A*-A compared to only 12% of boys; in Geography, girls outperformed boys by 13 percentage points; while in Physics, boys marginally outperformed girls.

Why This Matters
These results raise important questions for policymakers, schools and subject associations:
– Why does RS attract significantly fewer boys than girls, despite boys performing equally well?
– What strategies could increase male uptake, particularly post-16?
– How can we build on the strong female participation without reinforcing stereotypes?

NATRE’s Response
NATRE will continue to monitor these trends closely. We encourage members to:
– Reflect on how their departments engage male students in RS.
– Share examples of effective practice with colleagues across the RE community.
– Use these findings to strengthen the case for RS as a subject equally relevant and rewarding for all pupils.

Call to Action
If you have strategies, resources, or classroom experiences that have helped engage boys in RS, please share them with NATRE so we can highlight effective practice nationally.

Read full article

^[1] https://www.natre.org.uk/uploads/Additional%20Documents/Who_teaches-RE-in-English-schools_infographic.pdf