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?

Is that really how you think social media for teenagers works?

Is that a state school? Or fee paying?

@channelislander It sounds like a toxic mess - particularly when you mention that somebody's parents were a huge part of the problem.

I have never heard of in-school therapy being available, for money or otherwise, unless there's been a school bereavement / tragedy. More usual to have a school nurse for half an hour a week and be sent to Head of Year.

Well that then goes way beyond just schools.

If we’re separating public transport too then we’re heading into Taliban territory.

I'm not suggesting separate buses.
I haven't even said what I think about separate schools.

Only that I would want a solution that didn't make life a massive pita for those of us who don't have a choice of schools within easy reach. If our town school was made single sex tomorrow it would be a massive hassle for the other sex to get to an alternative so imposing this on us and calling it choice would be disingenuous.
It is the OP who cites girls being exposed to boys behaviour on school buses as a factor. Split schools wouldn't necessarily impact that.

Wouldn't the problem be that all the mums of girls would want single sex whereas all the mums of boys would want mixed?

I don't have kids but amongst my colleagues and friends who do, the mums of boys always want mixed so that the boys get a nicer environment but the mums of girls want single sex so that the girls can escape the boys.

There are loads of counsellors and pastoral staff in schools these days. Has been for ages.

And I haven't seen a school nurse for about 20 years!

Yes. Studies show that generally girls do better in single sex and boys do better in mixed. These statements are definitely at odds with each other!

OP,you keep ignoring the elephant in the room that where single sex schools exist -which for most of the UK is in the private sector since most of us are not in NI where religious schools dominate choice, nor are we in grammar school areas , or London- many are going mixed sex due to dropping parental demand for/ interest in single sex education. All but two of the private schools in my area over a process of 20 years have gone from boarding to day schools and from single to mixed sex. The two single sex school that remain are a very expensive boys school with boarding and a girls' day school with falling rolls.

I think if one wanted a single sex state education where I live, you'd have to travel about 60 minute, more in rush hour.

I don' t think many other countries segregate sexes , do they? Certainly not ones that are known for high educational standards and a secular education system.

I can believe the amount of choice the rest of the country has. The only single sex schools I know of are private ones.

No

Upthread a couple of people said that single sex schools are readily available for children in London who go private. This is true up to a point - the problem is that many of the more well known boys’ schools (in particular Highgate and Westminster) are now either co Ed or are about to be co Ed. Whereas the girls’ schools are staying as they are.

@Fifthtimelucky Several of the larger schools have trialled separating the sexes for eg English Lit and STEM. Don't know what it's like now, but Kings School Winchester did this successfully c 20 years ago. GCSE Boys got a male teacher eg for Eng Lit (he also taught football) and the improvement for them was marked, since they didn't clown around to impress girls, and having a male teacher talking about his response to texts allowed them to respond sensitively, too. The girls benefitted by the reduction in distraction, and in sciences, the social expectation that boys would be better. But this was a big secondary school with the consequent funds to trial ideas.

We trialled it at my school, too. The boys' class was much brighter. We did it partly to increase male uptake into A level and to raise male achievements in arts subjects , after years of a downturn and finding that setting gave girls preferential treatment. The decision was actually nothing to do with girls. We stopped doing it because we abandoned setting in the end and made balanced mixed ability groups.

As a female teacher, I do somewhat resent the assertion that boys are better taught by men, especially ones who talk about football...

Your last sentence, @Piggywaspushed is spot on. So boys will only pay attention effectively if the teacher is a footballing man?

My football hating DS would be buggered.
And I assume my brilliant (male) GSCE/A level history teacher who carefully used many sporting analogies to explain concepts to sport loving me wouldn't have been teaching female me.

Unashamed on preferring single sex education as mother of girls. Private or state. I went to both as child and it was a good environment for me. My own daughters have gone to a single sex secondary for a multitude of reasons one is academic and the second is that one was sexually assaulted in primary school by a boy in her year. School bloody useless and did nothing. She had less rights than I do as an adult. So yea, totally pro it as a choice for parents.

Fortunately in a part of the UK where there is enough choice between girls schools. Appreciate its not so elsewhere.

Thanks @crosstalk. That's interesting, as is the experience of @Piggywaspushed.

Interesting too about single sex schools being less popular now. Where I am in Surrey girls schools are still very popular. There are fewer girls schools than there were when I was looking at schools for my children 15 years ago (one very small one closed and one is now co-ed). But there are still five girls secondary schools within sensible travelling distance that I would be able to consider.

In contrast, there is only one boys school (which is very popular). There used to be two, but the other one is now co-ed (Charterhouse, which is well outside the budget of most private school parents)!

All single-sex schools here are private. I don't know where the nearest girls state school is, but it's certainly not in a commutable distance.

Would be useful if boys and girls were taught separately for parts of the English syllabus.
The poetry section focussed on love and relationships whereas the boys may have been happier with power and conflict or worlds and lives.

Mind you some of the girls would also much prefer the latter too - DD seriously didn't like the love poetry and Romeo and Juliet she got for gcse (other sets in her girls' school got Othello, it was bad luck not sexism).

Good one 😂! No doubt some people think girls should just learn poetry about flowers, and boys about war! 😂

Any separation of education by sex needs to avoid sweeping bloody generalisation about what boy are/like/do and what girls are/like/do.
Absolutely no metal work is for boys, needle work is for girls. Love poems for the little ladies, war poems for the lads. 🙄 The same things must be taught to all.

It is more a case of maturity - a lot of the boys at 14 - 15 are not at relationship level whereas many girls are.
Okay perhaps give them a choice

Plus I wish they did do needlework and woodwork for all - so many people are unable to do simple repairs on either clothes or home.

I can't actually believe you're serious about this?! You do know that not all boys and not all girls are the same.... right?