Single-sex schools have been the object of much scrutiny over the years, some believe that they are highly beneficial to the students while others believe that they are not. In the early 19th century, single-sex schools were a major triumph for the early feminists as it was one of the only ways that women could seek higher education. Nowadays, single-sex schools are common and can be found all over the world, from Chile to New Zealand to the UK.
Single-sex schools have had many studies done and most conclude that single-sex education is primarily favourable. It decreases sex-based bias and allows students to grow and evolve without the pressures of gender roles. Girls can explore interests in traditionally male fields such as STEM based subjects and sport while boys can explore subjects like drama and music which are sometimes seen as “soft” subjects. It has also been proven that students perform better academically when separated from the opposite sex.
However, could students be missing out on social experiences? When I asked Headmistress Ms Scott of Langley Park School for Girls if she thought (as a teacher who has worked in both co-education and single-sex) students learn better social skills in single-sex schools or co-education, to which Ms Scott said that “People tend to want to send boy to a mixed school and girls to a single sex,” as girls are generally “neater, calmer, quieter, less violent and work more consistently…although some would argue it is not girls jobs to modify boys behaviour.” Single-sex girls schools tend to be better for girl’s confidence and they can grow into whoever they want to be without the pressures of being around boys who society still treat as “better”. Finally, Ms Scott said that “We want to prepare girls to go out and be equipped to be the best version of themselves” and the way forward with that seems to be single-sex schools.
By Sadie Saunder
