All BOY school? Or mixed school? Opinions please?

ROLF. not endlessly birched - that would be a whole other subject !!! . Bitched - i meant bitched

DS1 started at all boys, moved to mix aged 7 until 11 and we had to move him because he LOATHED it. Endlessly birched at by girls who critcized what he wore or whther he was cool or not. LOVES his new school with just boys again. No pressure, the boys are just themselves with the preening and the posturing.
Have to add, mixed school was a nightmare for many others reasons so i am probably biased. But DS was very keen to move and is happier now.

DS1 is in an all boy school. He loves it! No distractions etc. The boys are polite, funny and generally great to be around.

DD1 loves the fact that DS1 is at an all boy school. That's right... she's at whiplash age where her head is forever spinning to watch the passing boys.

Kangaboy does FENCING, SWIMMING AND DRAMA

Drama is his passion both in school and out of school

Fencing and Swimming has equal numbers of girls in that he socializes with BUT Drama has more girls than boys so he has loads of choice

The thing I like is that they don't spend time trying to impress the girls like the boys did at my mixed comp.

But all children are different as are all families so what is good for one family isn't going to neccessarily right for another.

will it become mixed later if he stays on to Venture Scouts gawky girl? - If I remember right that starts at about 15 which would be a good age to do some social stuff with girls . Otherwise, unless you can find a mixed guitar or rock group (unfortunatly that instrument is more male oriented than most) or get him interested in a mixed sport (not too much scope there) then it's quite difficult. Drama is something that usually has a big female following, but takes a lot of time which it sounds as though he doesn't have. Does his school do anything joint with a local girls school?

Snorkle: I know that some Scout groups are mixed but our area has yet to join the 21st century. Besides he has some good mates at the current group, which he has only fairly recently joined from the other local group (which he didn't enjoy half so much), so I don't want to move him.

My dd has just started at an all girls' grammar schoo - her choice, not mine! Someone once said that in an ideal world she would send her daughters to an all girls school and her sons to a mixed school so that they can be civilized by other people's daughters! I was very unsure about the all girls school, but there were so many other things in its favour - not least dd's wishes. However, she does go to Scouts - mostly boys. I was very keen that she should mix with boys and think of them as normal human beings, not as an exciting alien species!

I went to an all girls school - pretty academically pressured. I am glad there were no boys there as I wouldn't have opened my mouth in class! I have lots of friends who went to both mixed and all boys schools - all of them did well, although the boys who didn't meet up with the girls school were a bit awkward in later life. Summary - worked for me - make sure he has a regular social group involving the opposite sex!

My DS1 is at a single sex school, and is happy and doing well there. Hormones haven't struck with full force yet , but when they do, there do seem to be some opportunities to meet girls from another single sex school nearby (joint maths workshops, business days, that sort of thing). You might want to find out whether the school you're thinking of has similar arrangements.

The education system currently seems to favour girls; I looked at one mixed school that clearly regarded boys as The Problem Gender. A single sex school may be better able to keep boys motivated.

As at RTKM's son's school, all the boys are terribly polite at DS1's school .

gawkygirl, aren't scouts mixed these days? Could you find a mixed troup for him if not?

Bigger risk of seeing/treating the opposite sex as an alien species imo (I have met some like this, but am quite aware that not all turn out that way). To me single sex schools provide a rather artificial environment that's not consistent with real life - but they do have plenty of proponents and there may be some advantages - especially in your case if you like the ethos of the school.

I'm very happy with my dc's co-ed school.

My DS goes to an all-boy secondary school which is fantastic and the best opportunity for him but I do worry about how he will relate to girls/women. His out of school activities are either solo (guitar) or boy-only (rugby, cricket, scouts).
Can someone suggest a mixed activity that he could try to fit into his busy life?

ds has just started in y6 of an all-boys school - he's absolutely delighted there are no girls there (although I'm not so sure he'll be quite as delighted a few years down the line )

DS went to a mixed PRIMARY and is now in year 8 at boys indep school

There is a girls school that stuff like choir/orchestra/drama/CCF/and lots of other stuff is done together

He does lots of out of school stuff in mixed company

I think he has the best of both worlds

btw it isn't aggressive but a school of polite young men, who hold open doors for you etc etc

I know it's a pain for them and I don't particularly like doing it.

However we have to put them in a seating plan as part of school policy, and boy/girl is the favoured approach.

I do put them boy boy/girl girl sometimes if they are not a particularly difficult class, but when you have 5 naughty boys in a class you have to do something so the whole classes learning isn't affected

But fizzbuzz - it is such a pain for the girl. Dd gets this all the time and it makes her life at school a misery.

My elder son went to an all boys school and my younger one to a mixed school. Ys has always been much more at ease in mixed company.

Boys do better on co educational schools

Girls do better in single sex schools.

In my experience as a teacher, I often sit a naughty awkward boy next to a girl. The behaviour always improves as girls seem to have a civilising influence

• it was only my opinion Gobbledigook and what I experienced from the schools I went to!! Obviously it does depend an awful lot on the lifestyle you lead outside school as well.

I have just spent 3 weeks on holiday with my dd and her friend (all girls school), their attitudes to boys were completely different and I was a lot less concerned about my dd.

Especially if the child has siblings of the opposite sex and has mixed activities outside of school.

School isn't the only place to meet and interact with peers is it?!

'IME they tend to engender a fascination with the opposite sex similar to alien sub-species'

Not imo OR ime

I prefer single sex schools for secondary education.

I went to a girls grammar, my brothers went to a boys grammar - I don't think it affected the way we interact with the opposite sex at all. I saw plenty of boys out of school at other activities and, later, when I was working (Saturday jobs).

My ds isn't intrested in girls in THAT way yet, but says that he's glad his grammar school is mixed as the atmosphere is good, boys and girls get along as friends and he thinks it would be a bit too aggressive in a boys school with all the testosterone flying.

The arguments for are

1. Boys don't get distracted
2. Less afraid to make mistakes and will take risks
3. No gender divide on subjects

Against

1. Girls raise level of behaviour
2. Learn how to deal with girls - not another species
3. Girls give completely different perspective