Ask the experts: Simply Learning Tuition on choosing single sex or co-ed

Simply Learning Tuition Managing Director Nathaniel McCullagh on deciding between a co-ed or single sex school for your child’s senior years

Q: My daughter is in Year 5 at a co-ed prep and our thoughts are turning to senior schools.  She loves Maths and Science, is sporty, and has a healthy mixture of male and female friends. My husband and I can’t decide whether a co-ed or a girls’ school would be better for her.  Can you help?

A: It sounds like your daughter loves school, enjoys her subjects and has a good mix of friends, which is all fantastic. It’s also positive that you are starting to consider next steps; Year 5 is the right time to do your research about senior schools. Independent schools have their own entrance requirements, cut-off points and processes so thinking about options at this point is a sensible move.  

The arguments as to the benefit, or otherwise, of co-ed or single sex schools are well established and many are based on sweeping generalisations. Single sex schools may argue that their teachers can tailor lessons to the specific needs of their pupils and that boys and girls perform better without distraction – girls because they feel less intimidated by boys, boys because they don’t feel the need to be cool around the girls. Proponents of co-ed will tell you that siloing teenagers is a recipe for relationship disaster in later life and point out that every child matures at a different rate – a teacher in a co-ed classroom could be faced with a situation where the boys in that class concentrate much better than girls. Certainly, there is no indication that teachers cannot adapt their methods to suit both boys and girls in a co-ed setting.

“Observe how pupils interact with each other, how the teachers interact with their pupils and what the atmosphere around the school is like”

If you attended a single-sex school, you may have an idea as to whether it would suit your child. This is bound to be coloured by your school experience and how much you enjoyed it. Try to put these thoughts to one side as schools are always evolving and their reputations wax and wane. Decisions should be based on informed knowledge and first-hand experience, so I’d start the process by talking to the Head of your daughter’s current school. They will be in a strong position to advise about the sort of schools that will suit her, educationally and pastorally. As she is enjoying a co-ed environment, make a shortlist of senior co-ed schools to visit and add in a few single-sex schools by way of contrast.    

It is worth considering that most senior schools that you visit are bound to be extremely good, have an excellent academic track record and will help your daughter fulfil her potential. Some may have better facilities than others but try and look beyond bricks and mortar to observe how pupils interact with each other, how the teachers interact with their pupils and what the atmosphere around the school is like. Trust your gut and if you see happy, friendly, polite and engaged students who are at ease with, and respectful of, their teachers then take your daughter along for a visit. At co-ed schools observe how the girls and boys behave around each other.   

From what you say of your daughter, it sounds like she will thrive in both a co-ed and single sex environment, so choose a school where you feel she will be happy, stretched and supported. After all, a happy child is always best placed to learn and flourish.

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Further reading: Quintessentially Education on preparing your child for the ISEB