SINGLE-SEX OR CO-ED
Putney High
Single-Sex or Co-Ed? What is best for your child? Single-sex schools are an important component of Britain’s renowned education system, with the prestige of many worldfamous institutions attracting students from all over the globe. Today, around 12% of government-funded schools are single-sex, with independent single-sex schools making up just 6% of schools in England. However, there are many who don’t believe that singlesex schools are appropriate in our modern age. With the growing prominence of gender inclusivity efforts, the division of students according to the traditional gender binary model has led some to claim that single-sex education may be a little outdated. Many also feel as though these schools perhaps hark back to a more patriarchal time in our history, in which boys and girls were taught different subjects in separate spaces, potentially lessening the opportunities available for women in the wider world. However, it cannot be denied
that single-sex schools – girls’ schools in particular – seem to dominate the independent schools league tables for GCSE and A Level performance. Despite girls’ schools making up just 13% of the independent sector, they often fill up to half of the top 30 places in the Sunday Times Independent Schools league tables. Putney High School GDST is one such girls’ school. Putney High states: “Girls’ schools are overwhelmingly among the
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highest academic performing schools in the country, so clearly, they must be doing something right.” They believe that: “Certainly, when it comes to academic achievement, with fewer distractions and an environment where they feel nurtured and supported, girls feel empowered to discover their passions and to excel in whatever they choose.” Helen Carrington, Head of Physics at Putney High School, also speaks up as to the benefits of a singlesex environment on the intake of students in STEM subjects, which are traditionally thought to be male-dominated fields: “We don’t have the problem of getting students to take STEM, or speak up in lessons, or achieve good grades – so we can focus on their enjoyment and enchantment with the subjects themselves.” Similarly, St Catherine’s School, Bramley praises the benefits of a girls-only environment in terms of physical education and extracurriculars: “It is widely proven that physical exercise is critical to young people’s physical and emotional wellbeing, and that participation supports academic achievement. Over 70% of girls aged 11 to 18 represent St Catherine’s in a sports team.
Eltham College
