To think that the state should offer single sex education as part of parental choice?

[KTheGrey]

Everyonesinvited.uk states as fact that there are three sexual assaults in primary schools reported to police every day (2016 figures), and that 9/10 girls had received unsolicited images (2021 from Ofsted). The Attainment 8 data analysis by gsa.uk (2019) shows an over 10% average higher point score by girls in girls' schools than by boys in boys' schools and over 20% higher average point score than all students in co-ed schools. A 2018 Queensland University study showed girls from single sex education emerged more confident. Many studies have shown they are more likely to engage with STEM at a higher level.

Should the state admit that it has failed in its primary duty of care in keeping girls safe, (as well as promoting every child's chances of getting their best results from school) and start providing single sex options to parents?

I had a fair few friends attend both private and state single sex schools and universally hated them. They struggled with relationships with forming relationships with boys and felt they missed out. Whilst I agree on just an educational basis single sex may be better for most children co-Ed is better socially.

How is “better” measured anyway? Being miserable, engaging in risky behaviours and unable to communicate with the opposite sex but an average of 10% higher scores on academic tests isn’t really an overall ‘better’ in my book.

That's very interesting, I was under the impression the difference was quite small. Do you have a link to the data handy? It seems odd that boys' grammars and privates/publics do as well as girls', often better. Maybe because they tend to be stricter, or have more parental support...? (Speculating, not expecting you to know the answer!) Regardless, it is rotten if girls are being significantly disadvantaged because boys can't learn to regulate themselves. There possibly needs to be a deep investigation into what's going wrong with male education.

Bristol doesn't, AFAIK. Bath used to, certainly.

I believe this would be a great idea, I dislike my daughter mixing with Boys at such a young age, as I am worried that she may be introduced to vapes, illegal drugs and what not.

Not being sexually assaulted or sent dick pics or having your own image circulated or deep faked. That was my criteria for better.

I would love to send my daughters to a girls school - there just aren't any state single sex schools.

Bit single minded of you. Most of that mean girls do too.

I wouldn't want either my daughter or son to go to a single sex school. The other sex make up 50% of the population and I want them to grow up surrounded by members of the opposite sex.
I personally had no problems with boys at school. It was the girls who made my life hell. My friends who went to single sex schools didn't enjoy it either and experienced a lot of bullying from other girls.
I'm not saying boys can't be awful. Of course they can but I don't see girls schools as some kind of safe haven utopia.

This doesn’t mean that 90% of girls have received unwanted images as you claim in your OP. It says between people of their age.

It’s impossible to say what percentage of girls have received one from that question.

30sec of googling suggests that Montpelier High School in Bristol is girls-only.

Because the push is always to keep children in school at all costs, problem parents are not going to be punished. The whole staff knows who they are, identifying them is not the issue. They are usually not doing well at life themselves in one or more ways.

I also don't think there is a minor issue stage for a small girl being harassed. It is massive immediately. The primary school stuff has shocked me to the bone.

Have a look at Hornsey School for Girls in Haringey. Year on year first choices are down. They are struggling to fill places. Parents are making a choice, and it's not sending their daughters there.

Thing is, in my (smallish town but getting bigger) within a 5 mile radius there are 5 secondary schools. Why could two not be made single sex, that still leaves 3 that can be mixed? No extra ones needing to be built, no extra teachers.

Is this way too simplistic?

😂😂😂
My dd went to an outstanding state all girls school, it was far worse than the comp for drugs, vapes, sexual activity and bullying. MH figures were very high too.

How on earth does sex shelter girls from vapes and drugs?

As someone who went through an all boys school they are terrible places for perpetuating misogynistic attitudes. I realise it’s not girls jobs to fix boys but it society’s to challenge rather than reinforce those kind of environments.

The Ofsted interviewed 900 children.
”nearly 90% of girls, and nearly 50% of boys, said being sent explicit pictures or videos of things they did not want to see happens a lot or sometimes to them or their peers.”

Happens a lot or sometimes- very wide margin. And “things you don’t want to see” can include a hell of a lot besides sexual images.

“For example, 92% of girls, and 74% of boys, said sexist name-calling happens a lot or sometimes to them or their peers.” Ofsted says sexist name calling is “sexual harrassment” but is it? Eg calling a girl a “cow” is sexist name calling, but not sexual harrassment. And this is “peer to peer” so not always between boy & girl.

Same with my DSis. Hers was an elite single sex boarding school.

Mine went to a selective girls day school. They were very happy. I wasn't aware of any bullying or any drugs issues. There was no smoking in school (some girls did out of school) and vaping wasn't a thing then).

They mixed socially with the boys in a nearby boys school and there were also some shared activities between the two schools, especially in the 6th form.

One didn't have any male friends or boyfriends at school. The other did. But they were both perfectly able to form friendships and relationships at university, and at work.

In contrast, I knew at least four sets of parents who had had to take their girls out of our local co-ed comprehensive because of bullying.

To be clear: I don't think bullying there took place because the school was co-ed.
But I also don't believe that the bullying or drug use experienced by others was because their/ their children's schools were single-sex.

These things can happen anywhere if schools are not well managed.

Do you honestly think girls don’t introduce boys to these things too?

Interestingly it has an inadequate Ofsted report with pupils reporting that they do not feel safe there.

It's pointless to have anecdotes about what your son or daughter experienced and how it was good or bad.
The vast majority of parents go for mixed schooling when given the choice. What has to be worked on is the entitlement and socialisation of boys, which is a job for parents and teachers alike. Then girls will be safer in any environment.
(wildly optimistic, I know)

I would say mixed sex is safer then, because at least schools can address it with the boys (and girls). I'd much rather if my DD had an issue like that, if I wasn't able to resolve it with the boys parents directly, I could ask the school to help.

Single-sex schools would result in boy contacts from outside school with no way to address such issues. Problem 10 x worse!

Plenty of girls need work on entitlement and socialisation too.

Did I say they didn't?!