# do you prefer co educational or single sex schools?



## astr591

which is better in your opinion? Would you feel differently if your child was a boy or a girl?


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## Pearls18

I have two boys and I'm somewhat torn. I've always said I would love to send my children to private school but I would want to do co-ed, I worry about the social ramifications of single sex education, it seems somewhat unnatural to separate sexes. Having said that, as mother of boys, I am becoming acutely aware of the differences in trying to educate boys and girls, I worry about my boys maintaining interest in school and wonder if a boys only programme would be better equipped and knowledgeable in educating them to the best of their abilities with their differing requirements.

I've never quite bought into the "showing off" aspect and distraction of education with those of the opposite sex. I wonder if in my ideal world I would like single sex education but a co-ed playground lol. But tbh it's a moot point for me, we could only afford to privately educate with the help of the RAF which would mean boarding school which I don't like the idea of, so it'll be co-ed state school for us.


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## tommyg

I read some research years ago on single sex school's which concluded girls did better in single sex. However boys did better in mixed.
I can't quite remember the reasons why but I think in mixed a lack of confidence affected girls and basically showing of played a for boys. It's also kind of uncool for boys to study and be seen as nerdy so they benefit from having girls around.

Socially it doesn't seem natural to separate kids.
I'd also question if a single sex girls school would offer traditionally male technical subjects or if a boys school would offer traditionally female subjects like Home economics (I imagine it has a better name now). 
Would supply and demand mean that these just wouldn't be offered? If I remember correctly I was 1 of 3 girls in a class of 20 who did technical drawing to O grade Level I can't imagine that it would have been had offered in an all girl school.


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## aimee-lou

I would be over the moon if we manage to get a single sex senior school for my 3 boys. I just feel like it would benefit them and allow their strengths to be nurtured as opposed to being lazy and chasing girls. They'll be handful's enough as teenagers without throwing SEX into the mix! lol :haha: Obviously the school being right for the child is more important but I just feel like my boys would do better and settle into their education more readily. :shrug:


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## stephx

Personally, I would not send my child to a single sex school x


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## MrsPear

I'm not really sure. Single sex schools round here (that I know of anyway) tend to either be fee-paying, or be 'grammar school' style and have entrance exams. So it would be hard to compare them accurately to the standard mixed comprehensives. 


Since I went to co-ed comprehensive, it's hard for me to imagine my children anywhere else. Plus there is nowhere locally. Unless based on the child's individual personality it seemed appropriate, no I don't think I would want single sex education for them.


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## MilitaryMummy

I personally went to a mixed primary school and an all girls high school.
I feel that i done alot better in a single sex high school than i believe i would have in a mixed due to me getting distracted by "boys" when the hormones kicked in. I still socialised outside of school once my homework was done and we also met during lunch hour.

My daughter has just started Reception in a co-ed primary school and i am more than happy with this but i will be looking for an all girls school when it comes to high school. 

xx


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## OmarsMum

Omar's school is co-ed in primary & single sex in secondary & high school.

I never thought about it, it is the system here in most private schools & I'm happy with it. Government schools are single sex here.


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## rosie272

I'm quite happy with coed primary but I don't know how I'll feel when secondary is coming up? I like the idea of single sex secondary but almost all of the high schools in my local area are coed unless by that time I can afford to go private then I'll consider it.


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## Natsku

Co-ed definitely (don't think single sex schools even exist here), school isn't just about the academic aspect - the social aspect is important too.


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## pandacub

I wouldn't send Jacob to a single sex school, I don't even know of any nearby.. even the private schools are co-ed.


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## Eleanor ace

I'd send DD to a single sex school but I wouldn't send DS to one. In my experience boys need girls in the class but girls often do better without boys there. I like someone else's suggestion of a single sex school with co-ed playground.


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## Rhio92

Co ed. I don't even know if there are any single sex schools around here :shrug:


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## RaspberryK

I'd not send to a single sex school, I'd also not send private either.
Xx


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## lau86

The best schools round here are single sex. Me/my brothers/husband and all our friends went to the single sex schools. We still live in the same area so essentially my children would be going to the same school my husband went to. Co-Ed is a bit alien to me as the co-ed schools are poor thanks to all the brightest children going to the single sex grammar schools. Though I can definitely see the benefits of co-ed. There just isn't really much choice round here.


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## jademack

The only local secondary schools here are single sex but to be honest, neither are that great. There's a co-ed grammar school but my OH went there and he doesn't want our child going there for reasons that I'm not really aware of. I just know he hated it. There are a few schools which are a bus ride away so I guess we'll look into it nearer the time but I'm not against single sex schools but I would rather go co-ed as I went to a single sex and while I did well, I just didn't enjoy it and found college hard as I wasn't used to being in a class with boys present. (Weird but their presence was intimidating to me for a while lol)


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## Midnight_Fairy

Not a chance.


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## aimee-lou

I appear to be in the minority here. Can I ask why people are so anti them? :shrug:


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## Tasha

This is so interesting to me because we are applying to secondary schools in the next month or so (applications have to be in by 31st October, open days aren't really starting until the beginning of October :dohh: ). 

All the local schools are single sex. Well that's not strictly true there are local co-ed but we live 2.3 miles away from it and last year the furthest distance out that someone got a place was 2.09 miles. I really don't want him to go to single sex as I think he will benefit greatly from co-ed (just based on him). We also have one boy and two girls so it would be easier for us to be able to have the three at one school.


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## RachA

I prefer the idea of mixed schools. Even if mine went to grammar school in our area they do a lot of mixing across the two schools. 

I went to an all girls school and when the hormones kicked in we still managed to get distracted by the local boys. 

From watching my nieces and nephews at senior school I've also got a better idea of going to a mixed school. It seems that, with my nephews/nieces anyway, because they have been mixing together anyway it's not such a big deal. All 4 of them have friends from both sexes. 
To me it seems unnatural to split them up.


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## RachA

aimee-lou said:


> I appear to be in the minority here. Can I ask why people are so anti them? :shrug:

For me it's the fact that by seperating the sexes you are creating some sort of mystery about the opposite sex. By going to the same school you are taking that away and therefore when the hormones kick in they have been around the opposite sex long enough to know there isn't actually any mystery. 
If a child is going to get distracted by someone of the opposite sex they are going to find someone to get distracted by even if they don't go to the same school.


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## Pearls18

I don't have anything massively against them, but I do find the concept quite unnatural, you don't spend your life segregated from the other sex so why do it in education,it's just a bit strange really, but that said I can see the advantages, but for a more well rounded education socially speaking not just intellectually I think co ed is better.


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## Midnight_Fairy

MarineWAG said:


> I don't have anything massively against them, but I do find the concept quite unnatural, you don't spend your life segregated from the other sex so why do it in education,it's just a bit strange really, but that said I can see the advantages, but for a more well rounded education socially speaking not just intellectually I think co ed is better.

This.


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## lau86

Personally I LOVED 7 years away from boys... My school felt a bit like st trinians at times with all the little groups like the geeks, the posh princesses, the chavvy ones etc but there was never any bullying (apart from when we bullied the teachers). I might be naive but I genuinely think most people enjoyed it. 
I felt a bit fat during secondary school, actually I wasn't just wasn't a skinny minny, I imagine I would've been teased by boys. I had two brothers at home and could've done out of school activities with boys, i chose not to! 
I didn't want anything to do with boys at that age, ok I have no friends who are boys/ men but I don't really see that as a bad thing.


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## Pearls18

Na see it was the girls who were the nasty ones in my school....but maybe that was because they were vying for the attention of the boys.....?! I don't understand the concept of "not wanting anything to do with boys" though....to me that's like saying "I don't want anything to do with old people, or the welsh or something" lol, half the population is male, it's life, why seclude yourself from a massive section of society for a temporary moment in time? I mean I understand the concept to trying to meet educational needs, but the general statement of not wanting anything to do with boys seems weird to me lol, I don't just mean "sexually" just generally as a people! It's a bit discriminatory lau haha :p


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## Tasha

Yeah the boys at my school never teased the girls. It was def the girls, but I don't think that has anything to do with being co-ed as the all girls schools nearby were bitchy as hell.


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## Midnight_Fairy

The girls I know who went to same sex school were worse!


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## Natsku

I would have hated being in a same-sex school as nearly all my friends were boys! (still the same way now)


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## lau86

It probably does sound a bit weird! As a teenager I wasn't really interested in having a boyfriend, I was/ am close to my brothers and didn't see the need to have any males as friends. My family is completely dominated by men, the only women are my mum nan and great aunt (biological I mean). Both my mum and dad only have brothers and the cousins I see are boys. It's the same as women who have sisters and don't have any female friends.
For me personally it was just really really beneficial to have that time away from boys. Yes it could be bitchy but nothing is perfect. 
I just came to give my opinion on it as most of the opinions on here are negative, understandably.
Eta the other post makes me sound like I hate men! I don't at all I love the straight forward nature of men but it's good to have a balance!


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## RachA

Coming from such a male dominated family lau I can see why going to an all girls school worked well for you :)


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## Pearls18

I kinda wish I could go to an all woman work place, I'm overrun at home :haha:


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## emyandpotato

TBH I don't think that it matters too much. Obviously there are benefits for both but I don't think one type of school produces better young adults than other really. Rory will be going to a co-ed because we couldn't even dream of private but that doesn't bother me at all.


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## kerrie24

I prefer co ed to single sex as I believe it is a more realistic build up to life and the workplace.


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## Kriti Dutta

I being a mother personally feels that the kids should be put in co-ed schools. It builds confidence and the child get mannered as compared to single sex schools. They inculcate the habit of talking to the opposite sex and also they remain conscious of their wearing and all. :thumbup:


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## wishuwerehere

I went to an all girls school, and whilst there is a very particular atmosphere at a girls school which i really enjoyed at the time (I canspot anyone who went to a girls school within about 10 mins of talking to them) I personally think my single sex education played a heavy part in the fact that i went off to uni, discovered boys and got pregnant within about 5 mins :/ not saying it's like that for everyone but it would certainly be a big part of my reluctance to send my daughters to girls schools.


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