A CAUSE FOR CELEBRATION HANNAH CHANDY

A CAUSE FOR CELEBRATION

BY HANNAH CHANDY (05-07; STAFF 2019-)

Recently I wandered into what I thought would be an empty classroom, only to find I had stumbled right into the middle of the Year 9 weekly meeting of FemSoc. The meeting consisted of a large group of unsupervised, predominantly female students maturely debating current issues surrounding gender and equality.

Incidents such as this remind me that, since joining the teaching staff at RGS two years ago, I have been thoroughly impressed and delighted by the students’ courage in taking initiative and their willingness to tackle different challenges. In many ways, the school is unrecognisable from when I arrived as a Sixth Former in one of the first cohorts of girls. As well as now being fully co-ed the facilities include a huge sports centre and a beautifully modern new library as well as the refurbished Sixth Form centre. At that time RGS was a single-sex school making a very gradual transition into co-education. For the small number of girls in the Sixth Form dealing with boisterous teenage boys (who were somewhat unprepared for the presence of girls), the girls’ toilets offered a haven in moments of despair!

Of course I have many great memories from my two years as a student at RGS. Highlights include taking part in the production of Guys and Dolls just as the

Having experienced both single-sex and co-ed schools as a student and teacher I am convinced that a co-ed environment is undoubtedly the best model for education.”

Performing Arts Centre opened, a trip to Holy Island for the atmospheric Reading Group weekend away and numerous exciting theatre visits. In fact it was the academic reputation of the school and particularly the English Department that attracted me to apply to RGS for Sixth Form. I found the classroom environment stimulating and intellectually challenging and the co-curricular opportunities on offer were endless. It is a privilege to now be a part of that staff team striving to deliver the education that I am so grateful to have received.

Through chatting to some of the female students in my classes about their experiences, I’ve realised that many of the current students appreciate the environment for similar reasons. Sixth Former Fran confirms what I have observed about the culture of the school: ‘The ethos of RGS encourages you not to fear challenge but to embrace it as a chance to further your own skills and understanding. This approach has been invaluable to me as I progress to university’. However, developing an atmosphere conducive to co-education has not been without challenge. Rather pragmatically, Fran describes some of her classroom experiences to have been ‘quite a male environment’ but she feels that ‘the role of individual teachers became most important in allowing equal opportunity in class and for every girl’s opinion to be valued’. Fran’s perspective supports my own view that teachers are essential in encouraging a climate of equality and diversity. Year 9 student Katie explains why she chose RGS: ‘I felt it was important that I attend a school where I could collaborate with both girls and boys and prepare myself for university and the workplace, which are mixed gender’. It is clear that she feels that RGS has now completely adapted to being coed as she comments, ‘Writing this after 20 years of co-ed in RGS, I cannot imagine anything different from school as I know it now. This in itself is extraordinary; the environment in which I learn everyday is inclusive and feels very natural’.

Having experienced both single-sex and co-ed schools as a student and teacher I am convinced that a co-ed environment is undoubtedly the best model for education. Individual students learn in different styles regardless of gender and I see no reason for segregating girls and boys during those formative years. RGS has provided both girls and boys with the opportunity to obtain a top class education for twenty years, and it will continue to do so for many more, and to me this is certainly a cause for celebration.