There are a few different schools of thought on this subject, pardon the pun. In some ways, the debate has become a moot point as, according to The Economist, single sex-schools are dwindling in popularity to the point of extinction.
Despite the fact that until the 1960s practically all children in the UK attended single-sex schools, these days only 6% of them go for this option. Many of the schools that remain have plans to become co-ed or may be forced to close altogether.
It is also important when having this discussion to bear in mind that most single-sex schools in this country are also private, with the majority of state and grammar schools accepting both girls and boys. This should definitely be taken into account when comparing grades between mixed and single-sex schools as private institutions have greater resources, smaller class sizes and are able to offer teachers higher salaries.
So, waning popularity and size of resources aside, what does the data say? A study of over 17,000 people conducted by the Centre for Longitudinal Studies at UCL examined whether ‘single-sex schooling made a difference for a wide range of outcomes, including academic attainment, earnings, marriage, childbearing and divorce.’ The study showed that girls tended to fare better in terms of exam results at age 16 in a single-sex environment, while boys achieved similar results at single-sex or co-educational schools.
There was also a difference in subjects taken up by the students as girls rated their abilities in maths and sciences higher if they went to a girls' school, and boys rated their abilities in English higher if they went to a boys' school. Essentially, there was less gender stereotyping present in the single-sex schools, with both boys and girls enjoying subjects traditionally associated with the opposite sex. Academically then, girls have the potential to benefit from being educated separately and, while it doesn’t improve boys’ grades, it doesn’t harm them either.
Even factoring in the obvious disparities between private single-sex schools and state co-ed schools, another study has shown that girls at single-sex state schools still did better than their co-ed contemporaries. According to the BBC, ‘advantage for girls' schools remains even when other factors are taken into account, such as social background or a selective intake.’ However, they do admit that even this data is skewed as grammar schools are more likely to be single-sex, co-educational schools have a higher proportion of poorer pupils and girls are more likely to get good results anyway.
Although important, school is not just about the grades. It’s about growing up and learning to socialise and communicate. Social impact also has to be taken into account alongside academic achievement when making a comparison. Many of the arguments for segregated schools is the prevention of gender stereotypes being pushed on children in their formative years, as we mentioned earlier. Girls can be scientists and mathematicians while boys can prefer creative writing. Although a single-sex environment may encourage some students to choose subjects they may have overlooked otherwise, the problem of these being perceived as ‘male’ or ‘female’ subjects in the first place remains.
As one Guardian journalist puts it, ‘Inequalities in A-level uptake do not completely disappear in single-sex schools. And separating boys and girls does nothing to tackle the underlying structural inequality in society.’ She goes on to suggest, ‘Rather than fighting a losing battle to insulate pupils from these attitudes, schools should instead actively challenge them.’ At the end of the day, there isn’t much substantial evidence that girls and boys learn differently – and such evidence is more anecdotal than based in scientific fact. The variation within groups of boys and groups of girls is far wider than simply between boys and girls. This means that separating them based on sex just reinforces a difference that may not even really exist and could do more harm than good.
Finally, single-sex education isn’t available to everyone. London has an unusually high number of girls’ and boys’ school of both the private and state variety, but other areas of the UK may only have private options or not even that. Whether or not you would prefer your child to be educated separately from the opposite sex, there may be barriers including geography and prohibitive expense that mean it is impossible. Fees actually rose to over £17,000 a year for the first time ever last year – a not inconsiderable amount, especially if you have more than one child.
Ultimately, the choice is the parents' to make and always will be. Their preferences and experiences will inform their decisions. However, when answering the question ‘should boys and girls be educated separately?’ the answer is that the advantages don’t outweigh the drawbacks by much and are, frankly, dwarfed by both the cost and convenience.
