Single sex/gender schools

[Cyril Haearn]

The Grauniad has a report about a girls-only school in Glasgow, there is a lot of argument about whether it should allow laddies too
Apparently girls do better without boys, the latter are less mature and distract from serious learning

I went to a minor public school, laddies only, -it nearly finished me off-, had to go to school Saturdays too
Baled out to a state grammar school, but I have not fully recovered from the public school many decades later, minusplus

[Tangled Metal]

In my youth I read often about how girls do better in mixed gender schools but boys do worse. The argument is boys do significantly better in single gender schools but girls don't do much better or worse in either so separate is better overall.

That was what the research showed from when I was at school (single sex to 6th form them mixed) through to the last time I read about it a few years ago.

Big effect? Doubt it's as big an effect as inadequate resources, poor administration or poor teaching

[Cyril Haearn]

I think ladies are more grown-up than laddies
Blind Date in the Guardian just reported about a pair who 'were at different stages', she was 20, she was more mature, he was 24

[Cugel]

I think ladies are more grown-up than laddies
Blind Date in the Guardian just reported about a pair who 'were at different stages', she was 20, she was more mature, he was 24

Well, I am fifteen and three quarters and always have been! This is age just below full legal responsibility but at which one knows how to be naughty in all the nicer ways - but can't be had-up for it so easily by the various adult killjoys.

The skool I went to was a boys-only grammar. I have no idea if this single gender arrangement was good or bad or moot, since I enjoyed it all and still dream pleasant dreams about it.

I suspect that if it had been full of girls then I would have fallen in love with at least 50% of them and been constantly heartbroken. Would this have made me a better student or a worse? Striving to learn things can be a good distraction from the difficulties of real life.

On the other hand, I went off to uni and had a good time learnin' stuff there too (when not completely stoned). There were girls there, some quite posh. The ones who'd been to finishing skool were the most, er, interesting. They taught me lots.

Cugel

[landsurfer]

I went to a mixed school for my first year of secondary education then to a boys only school for the rest of my school time .... the boys only was much better .... having half the class simpering over each other was not good ... boys building pyramids in the swimming pool trying to impress the girls was tedious ....

My sister also went to a single sex school ... we both agree it was better

[briansnail]

Brian Clegg in his book Dice world picked up on this. He argued Single sex girls schools are predominantly in the private sector. The benefit of smaller classes etc makes for better grades. If one looks at cause and effect single sex girls schools in themselves are not the main reason for better grades.

That said for both sexes you need money and brains. The top private schools ask for both they ruthlessly preselect. Private schools main advantage is they have a pool of the bright kids who know better than to disrupt lessons. State schools probably have just as enthusiastic and committed Teachers. However as they rightly cater for a cross section of society it will pull grade averages down. However for bright students willing to work hard they will do just as well as the private school students.

Private education is great it that it frees up more cash per pupil to the state system.

Brian Clegg also argued there is a very important factor for all to be considered in life's lottery. Luck.

[Spinners]

I went to a mixed infant/junior school and then to a single-sex comprehensive school before my family moved to an area with only mixed schools so I then attended a mixed comprehensive. Each to their own but I absolutely hated the single-sex comp and loved the mixed comp.

[yakdiver]

So how many schools will we need boys girls and whatever is in between oh dear........

[dodger]

What a strange way to educate children in a world where men and women live and work together. Maybe this is part of the problem with a lot of the public school oiks who like to run the country. Many of them have spent up to 14 years in single sex schools.
I went to a mixed primary, which I loved, but a single sex secondary which I didn't. Being in a single sex school (and one run by the notorious Irish Christian Brothers), made it harder for me to make easygoing relationships with girls. (My school friends at the time mostly felt the same awkwardness) That eventually passed, but it seems unnatural to split us all up for reasons I don't know.
My wife went to a mixed secondary and seems to have had a great time with friends of both sex.
Maybe it's an individual thing for me, but we never countenanced sending our kids to single sex schools.
And as for school uniform? Well, that's a subject best not broached. Like wind turbines and Brexit, this seems to be a "Marmite" topic!

[drossall]

We have a boys' and a girls' school locally. They are very popular. There's another across the county, and probably more not far away. There are good mixed schools on offer as well for those who prefer co-education.

We chose to send our kids to one of the mixed schools, but it wasn't really because it was mixed, but because we felt that the particular ethos of the school would suit our particular children. I'm in favour of choice. I can't really understand why so many people want to tell other people what they can do about their children's education.