single sex education for girls - what do you think?

I went all girls for High School and loved it. Admittedly grammar so might be something to do with it but the bitchiness was far less ( almost non-existent)than from other girls I met from mixed schools. There is not so much need for bitchiness which at its root is often competition for boys! We hardly needed to wear makeup or dress "sexily" as I see from a lot of the mixed school girls, there was noone to impress! Of course there were exceptions...

I would insist on it if I had daughters, not only for the reasons above but it has been proven that boys are more competitive for things like the best scientific equipment etc. so girls get left behind. I actually have sons so am more relaxed about it but would still prefer single sex.

Sorry for any typos, am a bit tipsy

I went to an all girls school after the local primary. no way in a million years would i send mine to an all girls school. I was lucky I have brothers and thier mates were my mates. There were girls in my school, who didnt have brothers, or who were an only child, taught by female teachers and quite honestly they had horrific relationships with boys/men in the real world.

I personally find a group of girls quite painful, girls can be pretty nasty, boys just get on with it, boys can fight one day, and be mates the next. A mix evens fragile situations out.

The the lads i grew up, never let me down, we never rowed, just got on with things.

Some of the girls i went to school with decided my males mates and my brothers were a good snogging target practice. I used to hate taking them home. THey just didnt know how to be friends with a boy!

Our children are going co-ed all the way. To me it is realy important to have friends of both sexes.

I went to a girls' grammar and loved it and have chosen the same for dd. She wanted it as she is bored of annoying boys disturbing lessons; I'm keen because both my dds are far prettier than I was (and dd2 looks set to take after her aunt with enormous bosoms) and I really don't want them to have to put up with all the hassle. I'd rather they were free to concentrate on lessons at school not who fancied whom.

I went to a single sex school and came out with a lot of insecurities around boys. For a long time I thought I would not send my children single sex, but now DD1 is also in Y5 and I think we will probably put single sex as our first choice. What I've realised is that being around boys doesn't necessarily mean you get on with them any better - it just means you're confronted with the issue all the time. Also I've come across boys being quite insensitive in mixed schools and 'ranking' the girls in order of attractiveness etc. That would have just about killed me!

And don't forget in some countries there really is single sex education because the girls don't get educated...

"People in the UK are incredibly sexist. I really agree with Lovetheharp; segregation is peculiar to this country, not inevitable, not universal." It is not peculiar to this country, there is single sex education in the States and Canada, Australia and Spain.

Like wordfactory, my daughter is starting in year 7 at a single sex secondary. She is coming from a single sex prep, having been to a coed state primary until yr 4. She loves it! And the girls are all (with the very rare exception) really supportive of each other. She has ZERO interest in boys and can't wait to start at the secondary. I went to an all girls grammar and loved it.

I went to a single sex school that became mixed while I was there. I would chose single sex education for a girl if there was a suitable school locally. There was less bullying in a single sex environment (and no sexual bullying), less disruption in lessons, girls would speak out more freely in class, there was no stigma in doing any subject and hard work was expected. At that time only single sex schools tended to have female headteachers or deputy heads so we had strong role models. When the school became mixed the top job went to a man and the head no longer knew all the pupils well. The impact on the girls was more noticeable in those lower down the school so if you want to go co-ed send them single sex until 16 and mix them afterwards.

People in the UK are incredibly sexist. I really agree with Lovetheharp; segregation is peculiar to this country, not inevitable, not universal.

That's very, very different from my own kids' experience and I've had seven go through or going through the same school, three girls, four boys. Up to Y9 there's a gender divide, after that very mixed.

I also went to co-ed in Italy and I agree that it is very different over there.

My children go to state co-ed schools and there is such a huge divide between boys and girls! I never experienced that at school in Italy, and I think it is cultural. No all girls' nights out, no all girls parties when I was growing up. Girls and boys went out together, were invited to each other's houses - there were no gangs of boys/gangs of girls and interests were widely shared. There was little stigma in subjects, in fact a lot of my friends went on to study engineering and now engineering in Italy is dominated by girls at university level.

When I came to the UK as a teenager, I couldn't believe it that any boy you were friendly with automatically thought they had a green card to making a pass or flirting! It was very hard for me to adjust to that way of thinking!

I think to my own children it would make no difference if they were in a single sex school as the divide they impose on themselves seems so huge!!

My four girls are co-ed and the better for it. Academic results haven't suffered and socially the three eldest are way better off (DD4 is still primary so boys aren't especially on her radar).

I was at a single sex school but given the choice would have preferred co-ed.

I went to a co-ed school in Italy (no single sex schools in Italy since 1929) the bitchiness, bullying and hatred I received from the girls made me truly miserable. Thank goodness there were the boys! I made friends with a group of other 'nerds' and we spent our time doing nerdy stuff together. I have a truly healthy relationship with men, a lot of my friends are men and I am happy and relaxed in their company. My friends from the UK who had single sex education seem to have a much less mature attitude towards men - either flirt and blush or want to spend their evenings out with 'the girls' - being only with women bores me to death and I wound not wish that to anyone.

I have a daughter in year 8 at an all girls grammar. She's an only child and I'm a single mum, and part of me wanted to opt for the co ed grammar school so she wouldn't feel awkward around boys. In the end I allowed her to make the choice.
So far she doesn't seem to miss having boys around, and girls do seem to do well academically in a all girl environment.

DD went to a co-ed prep and now attends a single sex secondary school.

She had always adored the rough and tumble of her prep and so we were both a little apprenhensive that the school would be very serene.

Actually she loves it. Yes it is quieter, but as she now views her academic success as more and more important, she values it.

Another postive is that the girls are not remotely bothered about their appearance during school hours (parties are another matter ). She gets up and out in thrity mins each morning. No hair straightening. No make up. The uniform is silly and no-one cares.

The school also has a huge focus on drama, singing, art etc which really appeals to my DD.

Having had concerns I must say, I am sold.

Dd1 started her single sex grammar in sept I think I'm in the same part of the country as The Second Coming, so could be the same one (begins with an A). She has really enjoyed it and has blossomed, has a big group of friends whose only distraction is talking about Robert Pattinson. I'd say in comparison to her friends who went co ed she is younger in her attitude. They all have boyfriends, I think it's little more then hand holding, but a sort of badge of honour. Dd is just interested in her friends and doing well at school. I'm hoping dd2 will do the same and ds will go to the boys.

be, obviously.

I was keen for DD to go co-ed as she is an only child but as the girls' school she has got into for September is fantastic I'm prepared to make that concession.

Also they have a mixed 6th form. She said she liked the idea of that as "by the time I'm in the 6th form I'll e old enough to have a boyfriend".

I said "you just keep thinking like that, sweetheart!"

I think in hindsight a lot of it is about personal experience. I went to a co-ed school (not an only but have a sister) and thought the 'demystifying boys' aspect was worthwhile. But in hindsight I spent a lot of time and energy in the lower years on unsuitable crushes that hopefully DD will avoid.

Sorry, pressed submit too soon. The reason why I like all girls is that in a single sex school, there can be the sporty ones, the academic ones, the scientific ones, the arty ones, the ones who learn best intuitively, the ones who learn best using pen and paper, the majorly outgoing ones, the shy retiring ones. None of this is based on sex and you can truly have the full spectrum of different types of girls achieving their potential with nobody fussing over them being 'the girls'.

I went single sex from 8, as did DH. Our girls will from 11, but I like the idea of co-ed before then personally.

If we had a boy, it would be the same.

I would have loved the opportunity to go to a single sex school, I was such a self conscious teenager and would have done really well I think. unfortunately in the states single sex schools are the luxury of the privately educated

Interested to see MoreBeta's comments - I went to mixed primary, all girls grammar for 11-16 then mixed sixth form. I honestly think I had the best of both worlds.

There are two all girls secondaries in our city, one state catholic and one private. I may consider it for DD as education is very different to life beyond school. Girls learn in a very different way from boys (more intuitive, with books pen paper etc.) and it helps if their teachers can tailor things the girls way without worrying about boys different learning styles or other distractions they bring. Undecided but am following with interest.