Single sex or co-ed

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Ess30
Posts: 140
Joined: Tue Feb 18, 2014 3:15 pm

Single sex or co-ed

Post by Ess30 »

It's an old question - but I still don't know the answers.

Why did you pick single sex or co-ed - and how has that choice worked out for your DC? (presumably the personality of the DC matters. Would you put a tomboy in a single sex school? Is it easier being in an all boys school if you are sporty? ).

Does co-ed deliver genuine boy-girl friendships in Y7/8/9 ?

Do single sex schools shield DC from pressures to grow up too quick - or do DC at these schools 'over compensate' against the perception of being sheltered?
hermanmunster
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Joined: Fri Sep 15, 2006 9:51 am
Location: The Seaside

Re: Single sex or co-ed

Post by hermanmunster »

very tricky and you can't try the experiment twice!

Our only GS are single gender so no choice there, the secondary modern is mixed.

DD had been at all girls from aged 8 and says she was very happy with that - DS also liked being in all boys school.
doodles
Posts: 8300
Joined: Tue Oct 27, 2009 9:19 pm

Re: Single sex or co-ed

Post by doodles »

I think this one is purely personal, saying that, like Herman, we were limited by the GS in the area being single sex. However, we did choose a single sex prep school but that was because we liked the school and this outweighed everything else.
Guest55
Posts: 16254
Joined: Mon Feb 12, 2007 2:21 pm

Re: Single sex or co-ed

Post by Guest55 »

We've had this thread several times - we chose mixed and we knew that was better for our DS. Personally I also prefer teaching in a mixed school ...

Not sure another thread on this is going to advance the discussion ...
scary mum
Posts: 8841
Joined: Mon Mar 15, 2010 3:45 pm

Re: Single sex or co-ed

Post by scary mum »

I preferred co-ed because I believe that life is co-ed & schools should be too. We are fortunate that our local GS is co-ed. I went to a girls' school but felt that it was hard to get to know boys as friends even though we shared school coaches. Some girls who had been to single gender schools that I knew at uni REALLY didn't know how to behave around boys. Just my personal opinion - other opinions are available :D
scary mum
Ess30
Posts: 140
Joined: Tue Feb 18, 2014 3:15 pm

Re: Single sex or co-ed

Post by Ess30 »

It's unlikely to advance the sum of human knowledge - but it is a pleasant way to while away the wait til 2nd of March!
loobylou
Posts: 2032
Joined: Thu Nov 27, 2014 5:04 pm

Re: Single sex or co-ed

Post by loobylou »

Our dd is at a co-ed selective school. Funnily enough we didn't even sit her for the single sex GS in our area even though she sat for 3 co-ed schools. I say "funnily enough" because both dh and I were educated at single sex schools and neither of us had a big problem with that. But it never occurred to us to ask her whether she wanted to go to a girls' school. I suspect that that's because (even though we never discussed it) she has a brother just 18 months younger than her and they get on very well and we just assumed that it would be a good thing for them to have the same school (which they will have as there is a sibling policy). I suppose deep down I do think of girls' schools as being potentially more b*tchy but I don't really know if that's true...
Ess30
Posts: 140
Joined: Tue Feb 18, 2014 3:15 pm

Re: Single sex or co-ed

Post by Ess30 »

DDs current number 1 choice is single-sex GS.

She somehow perceived it as more academic and focussed (thought the 2nd choice co-ed GS actually gets better results). I think the bottom line is that there is probably a correlation between choosing single-sex for your daughter and being otherwise quite protective of her - the co-ed kids seemed trendier!

However - living through the **** of Y6 girl friendship dynamics - I am starting to seriously wonder if single-sex really is going to be the quiet harbour that DD expects.

She gets on great with boys, mainly likes 'masculine' subjects and pursuits and has brothers. Then again - that would also describe me - and I had no male friends at my co-ed until A-Level...
Minesatea
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Joined: Sat Oct 31, 2009 12:08 am

Re: Single sex or co-ed

Post by Minesatea »

2 of mine are in single sex schools as the only grammar options are single sex. DD is definitely a tom boy and probably tends to choose like minded friends, but this has not been a problem. DS1 is not sporty as far as traditional school team games are concerned and has not had problems in his boys only school although he does seem to be enjoying the female company now he is in the sixth form!
For us, having the two, who are close in age, in separate schools has been a good thing. They get on better and mix socially together better than they did when they were at school together, but that may just be because they have grown up.
I think you generally should pick the school for other reasons rather than whether it is mixed or single sex.
Amber
Posts: 8058
Joined: Thu Sep 24, 2009 11:59 am

Re: Single sex or co-ed

Post by Amber »

Double standards here (or actually triple, given my opposition to selective education!). Boys at single sex grammar - I love the school and that's it, though it is mixed for sixth form and I would be encouraging them to move if it weren't. There is no way I would have wanted my daughter in an all girls school though - and she wouldn't even go and look. I get scared myself of all those girls, and can't bear big groups of women even now (think more than 3 - Amber's nightmare = girls' night out :cry: ), and DD is the same - needs mixed company.

In general I think that all education should be mixed though- I don't like segregating children by any criteria at all - gender, religion, 'ability', you name it.
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