Education

Girls only sixth form: outdated notion or catalyst for success?

‘It’s not the real world’ and ‘girls won’t cope when they go to university if they haven’t been to school with boys’ are the frequent reactions I hear to the idea of an all-girls sixth form. Having worked in all-girls’ schools for over twenty years, I can assure you that both my own experience and scientific research prove that these views are far from the truth. In fact, being in an all-girls learning environment gives young women the best possible chance of flourishing in the world beyond school.

Let’s first consider the real world. In spite of some significant steps towards equality, girls and young women are under greater pressure than ever to conform to social stereotypes. From gender reveal parties where the unborn child is greeted with gendered paraphernalia such as pink or blue balloons, to clichés about not liking competition or having neat handwriting, young women continue to be channelled towards, and judged against, outdated notions of the female ideal. Humans are undeniably social creatures who like to fit in. The effect of stereotypes, therefore, is that many young people end up feeling they have to conform. At school this means girls avoiding so-called ‘male’ subjects, activities which are ‘non-feminine’ and roles which might lead to them being criticised as ‘bossy’ or ‘shrill’. Even as young as six, many children have internalised stereotypes such as that maths is for boys.

Depressing as that is, the plasticity of our brains means that there is always time to help our pupils escape the constraints of gender stereotyping. In girls-only sixth forms, young women have the space and encouragement to test and develop their own interests. Research shows the success of this model in many areas such as developing greater levels of self-confidence and facilitating the study of STEM subjects. In fact, girls educated in single-sex school are just as self-confident as boys educated in boys’ schools and significantly more likely to study subjects such as physics than girls in co-educational schools. In addition, girls in single-sex schools are more inclined to carry on playing sport until 18 benefitting from the resulting positive effects on physical and mental health. Indeed, a Bristol University study found that single-sex schools encourage “improved self-esteem, psychological and social wellbeing in adolescent girls”.

Moreover, every pupil leadership role is occupied by a young woman who is starting to learn about the positive impact that she can have on the world around her. As a 2018 article pointed out, in a girls’ school, girls are intentionally “equipped with the knowledge and skills required to overcome social and cultural gender biases and in doing so actively break the stereotypical norms that define women in society.” This brings us to the second question about to what extent an allgirls sixth form prepares young women for university. At St Swithun’s around 25% of our leavers go on to study STEM-related subjects at top universities in the UK and overseas and will enter careers that still tend to be male-dominated. Our pupils have many opportunities outside the classroom to interact with young people from a range of other schools in drama and music productions such as our celebrated St Swithun’s Live rock concert, at competitions such as national debating challenges or Model United Nations and at social events. They are perfectly placed to enjoy good relationships with all kinds of people when they leave our sixth form having developed a quiet self-confidence and a genuine interest in others. A recent poll of our leavers from the past two decades revealed overwhelmingly that they formed healthy and happy relationships with male students precisely because they approached them as equals.

Far from being an old-fashioned model of education, an all girls sixth form prepares young women to create and seize opportunities in the modern world.

Jane Gandee is head of St Swithun’s, Winchester.

New Alresford Town Trust News

The Eel House

Since opening in 2008, the Eel House has displayed a number of detailed information boards on its public open days. While very informative, these have lacked one essential part - a graphic design of the lifecycle of the eel. This is the extraordinary story of the 5,000 mile “round trip” of eels from their European homes, to mate in the Sargasso Sea from where their eggs and larvae are taken by the Gulf Stream back to Europe. This lack has now been remedied by a beautifully designed and printed picture of this amazing journey by Stephen Harte and generously donated by him to the Eel House.

The artist Stephen Harte presents his design of the Lifecycle of the Eel to David Woods (chairman of the Eel House Committee) on 13the August 2021

Open day at the Eel House, Norman Bridge & Museum

What a magnificence day and performance by the hard working volunteers at the Town Trust's 3 sites namely The Eel house,Norman Bridge and Museum. The advance publicity provided by Nicky Gotlieb helped provide a very good turnout of interesting and lovely people who all enjoyed the sites and were pleased to meet the volunteers. The Museum was the star attraction this time and many remarked on the many changes and additions since its opening a couple of years ago.

The first open day figures were: Visitors to the Bridge - 287, Museum - 271 and Eel house - 194 A total of 752 Donations: Bridge £36, Museum £163 and Eel house £97 Total £296 plus gift Aid of £370 The 30/8/21 bank holiday results were: Visitors to the Bridge - 308, Museum - 242 and Eel House - 203 A total of 753 (amazing similar in total) Donations: Bridge £90, Museum £83 and Eel House £111 Total £284 plus gift aid of £359

So the 2 days produced Visitors 1505 and total donations including gift aid £729 which will go to the Museum and Eel house upkeep. The Trustees themselves were fully involved as was David Woods (stalwart) of the Eel House, City/County Councillors plus around 20 volunteers in total. There was never a dull moment with interesting observations and helpful comments . As chair of NATT I have been involved in most of the open days,starting with the Eel House in 2008 and extending to the other 2 sites over the last few years.,This was one of the best! The Trust needs more open day volunteers who can help sustain these very special Alresford open days.

Robin Atkins - NATT, Chair

The Trust's Responsibilities

The Avenue: The Trust is responsible for the upkeep of this area of the town. The area is defined as the land on each side of the road from Pound Hill to Drove Lane. Regular checks and maintenance works are made on the trees, bulb planting is organised, and the grass cut. Broad Street: The collection of all dues and revenues from Broad Street, including its annual fair, the weekly Thursday and monthly Sunday markets; in addition, there are occasional Continental markets. They are also responsible for the upkeep of the trees along the Street, and permission is given for road closures during the annual Watercress Festival, third Sunday in May, and the October fair which this year is on Thursday 14 October. The Old Fire Station: As landlord of the 1881 building, its upkeep is the responsibility of the trustees. It currently houses Andrew Lawes' picture framing business and the Alresford Museum. The Eel House: As part of the team that worked to save the partially collapsed building which sits astride the River Alre, the Trust agreed to act as the umbrella organisation under which various bodies support the Eel House. The Trust now lease the building and maintain it. The Minibus: The service was first started about 45 years ago to take the elderly and disabled shopping, to appointments, sometimes on day trips. The Alresford Museum: Operates under the umbrella of the Town Trust with the objective to provide and maintain a museum for the town. The Museum has taken over the old garage part of the Old Fire Station to provide a small exhibition area with the centrepiece being the old Tichborne Park Steamer Fire Engine.