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?

 

[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.

 

[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.

 

[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 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.

 

[stephx]

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

 

[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.

 

[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

 

[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.

 

[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.

 

[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.

 

[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.

 

[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.

 

[Rhio92]

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

 

[RaspberryK]

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

 

[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.

 

[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)

 

[Midnight_Fairy]

Not a chance.

 

[aimee-lou]

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

 

[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 ).

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.

 

[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.