Mixed or single sex for a girl?

I had a very positive experience in my own girls’ school and although the national picture of girls doing better in single sex schools therefore contributes to my confirmation bias, the evidence is pretty strong (certainly stronger than, for example, the evidence in support of selective schools). Combined with the specific local progress data that you cite I would consider this a very strong case for sending your DD to the girls’ school unless there are very significant practical advantages to having both DC in the same school.

I also think you need to look at the schools themselves too. All of these statistics about girls doing better than boys.... Its not just as simple as girls schools do better academically. A happy student is going to perform better than someone miserable in their school setting. Worth considering too!

I think you should making the decision based on the schools itself. Not all mixed and single sex schools are the same.

We chose a mixed school for our DD and DS.
We wanted them to go to the same school and have the same opportunities.

It's possible that there was an unusual profile for the girls cohort this last year in the mixed school, which might be something you could work out from the data. But, it really is a stark contrast between a well about average progress 8 score and a below average, negative one.

I'm not a fan of single sex schools, but with that level of different outcome I'd find it hard to justify the mixed school over the single sex one.

DD is currently at a single sex grammar and loves it. She went to Co-Ed primary and was in a class where boys outnumbered girls 3-1. She was desperate to be included by the girls but for some reason didn't "fit". It was her male friendships in her class which got her through. She did not - understandably- want to go to a single sex school. However she was persuaded to- and it has been the best decision for her, which she now readily agrees. She has formed a good group of female friendships - after all there are more girls to choose from, and gets on well with most of the girls in her class. Disruption is less - partly because it's a grammar school and they all want to learn. Yes there are difficulties with girls falling out - but you'll get those in either setting. However the learning environment is more conducive. She still has male interaction, her dad, uncle, brother, her brother's friends, the boys at the different sports clubs she attends. So personally I don't understand the concern about girls in a single sex setting not getting the appropriate social skills. For her it was the best decision.

Maybe speak to her about what she is concerned about in a single sex environment- it might just be the fear of the unknown?

Hope it all works out well for her.

This. We sent both our DD's to single sex, although one chose mixed for sixth form.

Girls do best when they can be themselves and many feel more confident to speak in class without boys present.

My secondary school had a lot of sexualised bullying by some of the boys, which spoiled my experience and I remember that school with no affection.

My dd went to a single sex school - it wasn't problem-free but over all I think my dd came out having had a more positive experience of school than I did.

I think as someone said, for any one person who had a bad time at a particular school, there's probably another person who went there who had a very different experience. You can't really predict how it will turn out - it depends on who your friends become and all sorts of influences.

Personally I'd vote for single sex.

No, I didn't mean to be rude, and I am sorry it came across that way. The point I was trying to make was that your son is at the school already, so you should have some reassurance that the school manage the safety and well-being and education of all the children attending - regardless if they are a boy or a girl. You mentioned in an earlier post that you were worried about "pinging bra straps". So either you have confidence in the culture of the school with regards to the equitable education and safety of all children, or you don't.

If she wants to go to that school, and you think mixed education is a good idea for the girls in your son's class, why isn't it a good idea for your daughter?

None of this is easy, and we make loads of choices that we don't (can't) know whether it was the right one until years later. So my apologies for my clumsy tone. I hope your daughter, and your son, thrive whatever decision you all come to.

As stated in meeting boys in the work, class, study situation and environment; did not imply social situations. This goes for boys in single sex schools meeting females in in work, class, study situation at university.
Racism, all parents will/should cover it as it is on the news and kids do hear and ask questions as well as issues such as social inequalities etc. This really start from primary school years.
@EBearhug , agree, depends on the DC character and which school single or coed is more suitable; and also if DC wants to be with older brother.

It all depends on your dd and the schools in question and whatever is important for your dd and you. Her having a brother would mitigate the “not being used to boys” factor.
How good is the co-ed school when it comes to misogyny? Do girls choose the sciences for GCSE? Are they touched in the corridors? Can they play football or do they all have to do dance?
How is the culture at the girls’ school? Is it all drama and bitchiness? Science uptake at GCSE?
Asking for opinions on your local Facebook page might be an idea.

@VoiceofRaisins56 you can look at the progress 8 score for just the girls at the mixed secondary if that's of interest. Often in a mixed school the girls results are better than the boys when you look at them split out.

www.compare-school-performance.service.gov.uk/find-a-school-in-england

If you find the school and then look at the most recent data, there should be an option to look at the "results by pupil characteristics", which will show you the results split by sex.

Apologies if you have already done this!

I went to an all-girls school and this wasn't my experience all. Yes, there were some disruptions and fall-outs (I'd worry if that were never happening, when you have groups of teenagers, whichever sex.)

But overall, it was a supportive environment. There were probably some girls who didn't enjoy it - when there are 100s of people together, it would be odd if everyone all had the same experience. But there are also quite a few of us who look back on those times fondly (going by FB,) and I'm still good friends with people I met there (we're now in our 50s.)

I think this means the school itself is what's important - someone (parent or child) might prefer single sex or mixed, but I'd have thought a good school that suits the child (and what suits one child may not suit the next,) would be better than sticking blindly to a principle. Not that that helps when, as in the OP's case, both possible choices are good.

Mind you, if you grew up where I did - smallish town with a large rural catchment area - there wasn't really a choice. There was (and is) only one secondary, so the other options are to go private or have to drive some miles away to another town. School buses from the villages only went to the one secondary in their catchment area.

There you go. That's describing your experience rather than lumping all girls as fucking horrible.

And please don't think your experience decades ago of being in a mixed school will be the same nowadays.

Pornography is now a huge issue. Teenage boys are now exposed to absolutely vile, misogynistic, violent pornography which is doing untold damage to their brains. It's quite terrifying and I'll happily keep my DD away from that.

You didn't say I found the girls in my school to be fucking horrible.

You said girls are fucking horrible.

Big difference.

I detest the stereotype that all girls are bitchy.

I don’t buy this argument at all. For a start, she has a brother so has plenty of experience “dealing with boys”. Boys don’t become a mystery other species just because you’re at a girls school.

All of the evidence suggests that girls do better at all girls schools. They are also more likely to choose STEM subjects because they’re not considered “boy” subjects and participate in PE and sports without the fear of looking unattractive in front of the boys.

Our co-Ed schools are rife with misogyny and sexual assault. Putting your daughter in that situation doesn’t make her more able to deal with misogyny and sexual assault in later life. Would you willingly expose your ethnic minority child to racism in order to prepare them for the inevitable racism in later life, or would you chose to protect them from it in their childhood?

You can try and turn it around and think you're very clever but I merely told you what my DD said to me...I didn't say boys are fucking horrible and disruptive.

Girls are fucking horrible without boys to impress

This is what you said. It's horribly misogynistic. There are many ways of explaining your experience without resorting to this sort of description.