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This paper adopts a social constructionist position on assessment, specifically that it can never be free of the social conditions in which it is practiced. As such, we explore two aspects of classroom interactions which contribute to and shape the learning environments in which assessment takes place. By drawing on interviews carried out with 51 teachers and 307 Year 3 (7–8‐year‐old) pupils the paper demonstrates where and how beliefs and attitudes about gender influence what they perceived as ‘good’ or ‘appropriate’ working relationships. It also considers the ways in which teachers utilize perceptions of gender to plan the curriculum and manage their classrooms. Whilst the pupils believed their teachers treated them in a fair and just manner, three quarters of the teachers interviewed believed they did or should respond differently to pupils according to gender. We argue that the emphasis given to boys’ underachievement has contributed to this scenario. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]