Mixed schools admission criteria and gender

[MARC1]

Does anyone know if mixed grammars need to also hit gender percentages or quotas on year 7 admissions? I cant seem to see anything in school admissions stating this. I'm just curious if for example y7 has 100 pupils and the first 90% are girls that meet the criteria is this just taken and no consideration made to make it nearer 50:50 in ratio? I know 90% is far fetched but just curious how mixed schools manage year on year gender fluctuations or indeed if they or local councils even care.

[PettswoodFiona]

Where the admissions are based on ability then I don't believe gender could be an admissions criteria in a mixed grammar. I see posts on here occasionally about the percentage mix and it is often unequal with sometimes 70% one sex. How many end up at a mixed grammar is often a combination of factors including popularity of other schools nearby and sometimes the test type or weighting. Sometimes it can be self-fullfilling as parents see a stark imbalance and think twice. I went to a Comprehensive where in each class of 28 there were only 7 girls. It made sports days very onerous on the girls!!! I do remember being the only girl in a GCSE Physics class too and another girl deciding against science due to likely being the only one.

[MARC1]

Where the admissions are based on ability then I don't believe gender could be an admissions criteria in a mixed grammar. I see posts on here occasionally about the percentage mix and it is often unequal with sometimes 70% one sex. How many end up at a mixed grammar is often a combination of factors including popularity of other schools nearby and sometimes the test type or weighting. Sometimes it can be self-fullfilling as parents see a stark imbalance and think twice. I went to a Comprehensive where in each class of 28 there were only 7 girls. It made sports days very onerous on the girls!!! I do remember being the only girl in a GCSE Physics class too and another girl deciding against science due to likely being the only one.

Thank you @PettswoodFiona

[ToadMum]

I went to a Comprehensive where in each class of 28 there were only 7 girls. It made sports days very onerous on the girls!!!

Reminds me of the inter- club swimming gala DS1 took park in at the end of year 12 - still in exam season, so a lot of the older teens didn't turn up. In his age group, our sports centre managed only DS1 and a.n.other, who split their six races between them and took 3 gold medals each. Only one of the girls turned up . But she took the gold in all of her races, too .

And no, the school wouldn't get away with trying to put a gender balance clause into its admissions policy - if it's mixed entry, it's mixed.

[lizmcp]

In a single cohort, no there is nothing they can do, but over the long-term they can use certain approaches to equalise.

I know of one school that used to use NVR, maths and English tests, and recently did away with the NVR. They didn't give a reason but it was thought that because being good at maths gives an advantage on NVR tests, it was to give a better balance of maths and English in the pupils the school admits.

Now, I don't believe that boys should be better at maths than girls, and girls better at reading and writing than boys, but at the top end of KS2 that's how it usually is. So this could have been some way of taking away any (perceived) advantage that was being given to boys.

[Stroller]

Does anyone know if mixed grammars need to also hit gender percentages or quotas on year 7 admissions? I cant seem to see anything in school admissions stating this. I'm just curious if for example y7 has 100 pupils and the first 90% are girls that meet the criteria is this just taken and no consideration made to make it nearer 50:50 in ratio? I know 90% is far fetched but just curious how mixed schools manage year on year gender fluctuations or indeed if they or local councils even care.

The specific words used in determined admissions arrangements carry weight and I’ve not come across one that mentions a ratio.

You used the word gender. I suspect that word is still a rarity in determined admissions arrangements documents. I’d be quite interested to see examples of it, if someone comes across them.
Generally, schools talk about girls and/or boys (and say as little as possible about either sex or gender ).

[mitasol]

Only single s e x schools are permitted to select on gender. No mixed school should have a quota

An admission authority must not discriminate on the grounds of disability; gender reassignment; pregnancy and maternity; race; religion or belief; sex; or sex ual orientation, against a person in the arrangements and decisions it makes as to who is offered admission as a pupil.

This Act contains limited exceptions to the prohibition of discrimination on grounds of religion or belief and sex. Schools designated by the Secretary of State as having a religious character are exempt from some aspects of the prohibition of discrimination on the grounds of religion or belief and this means they can make a decision about whether or not to admit a child as a pupil on the basis of religion or belief. Single-sex schools are lawfully permitted to discriminate on the grounds of sex in their admission arrangements.

[JustOutside]

Agree that mixed grammars don't have quotas on boys/girls (unless it is specifically mentioned in the admissions criteria.)

Our one mixed local grammar is boy-heavy (the intake a couple of years ago was 140 boys and 40 girls). Some people have speculated that this is because some cultures prioritise their sons' education over their daughters', but a more likely reason is that the local girls' comprehensive school is excellent but the boys' equivalent is not.

[hermanmunster]

Agree that mixed grammars don't have quotas on boys/girls (unless it is specifically mentioned in the admissions criteria.)

Our one mixed local grammar is boy-heavy (the intake a couple of years ago was 140 boys and 40 girls). Some people have speculated that this is because some cultures prioritise their sons' education over their daughters', but a more likely reason is that the local girls' comprehensive school is excellent but the boys' equivalent is not.

that is quite often the case and many girls decide they don't want to go to a school where the balance is so uneven and hence even more go elsewhere - used to happen at a local indie that went co-ed, they really struggled to get the girls numbers up because there were plenty of other girls indie places around, some girls like being one of only 6-7 in a form but others hated it and went elsewhere