Separate girls and boys groups for extra curriculars

[drspouse]

I'm not wanting to start a debate, just to find out the variety of things that exist (and though I'm a long-time-Guiding member who hates they way they've gone on self-ID, I'm not asking about that either in this instance).
DS loves dancing, and goes to tap dance with a lovely understanding teacher, but he is also anxious and has SEN and has started to refuse to go if the other boy in the class (there are about 8 girls) isn't there. The other boy is often at competitions etc. (DS is not at that level) so quite often doesn't go. DS used to go to street dance with a lot more boys but the teacher asked him to leave as she couldn't cope (just her and a class of 20+ and he now has 1:1 support in classes he needs it in but this was before that).

About an hour from us there is a boys' street dance club and a girls' dance group runs alongside. That is too far for us to travel but I'm thinking of asking school if they would consider a music or dance class (they run sports clubs through external providers but no music or dance clubs) and if they'd segregate it into boys and girls.

Someone posted on a FB group I'm on that their school has boys and girls singing groups and, as an encouragement to school, I thought I'd see how common this is.

I know there are boys' ballet classes in London but we are miles from there. Just collecting examples, really. Any type of club (sport obviously is segregated at some age, so other types) so also cooking, craft, sewing etc.

The junior school ds went to had separate boys & girls singing groups, the boys group was run by a very popular male teacher and it was a great way of geting boys into singing and was also aware of the issdues with regards to changing voices etc. However the problem you get with dance is that they may struggle to get enough takers in a normal school to have a boys dance group.

My ds is part of a musical theatre group outside school and they have lots of boys (they also have a dedicated asd group) but I realise this isn't available everywhere.

The idea of boys only dance groups (& I have a dd who dances seriusly and a ds who dances recreationally) is the same as the principal of girls STEM groups. It's about breaking stereotypes and addressing the issue of both sexes not taking part in these activities/subjects so I am infavour, even though it disadvantages dd in some regards.

Trying to think of things your DS might like if he likes dancing...
Maybe drama class? Those are usually a fairly even mix of boys and girls and do a bit of dance/movement.
Or gymnastics? Usually at least a few boys, especially since the British men are so good at the mo.

He's a bit too uncoordinated for gymnastics, especially as all the children his age (7) have been going since they were 3 or 4!
I think he'd like drama but I can't really find a suitable class, they are all very long (2 hours) and his attention span is really not that great so I'd be wary of that. They are all Stagecoach type drama mums classes rather than community halls have fun classes IYSWIM.

I wouldn't discount gymnastics, my parents signed me up because my teachers told them I was abnormally clumsy (I'd probably be diagnosed with dyspraxia nowadays) and it did wonders for my self esteem and coordination (but it was a very relaxed church hall type class! no pushy mums etc)

I think he'd rather do something that involves Expressing Yourself with a capital E. And preferably music!

Our local leisure centre runs a gymnastics club that's more of a basic level. They do things like forward & backwards rolls, balance beams (20cm wide), hula hoop, skipping, general running around games & stretches.

My dd loved it but we've since moved onto Acro which is more focussed but still fun.

There was a pretty even split of boys & girls & it was run by 2 young men who were great with the kids.

Hmm there may be something like that (DD just stopped doing gymnastics but it was Very Serious, and though we do know 7 year old boys who go they are all dropping off, and have all done it since 4).