Please tell me this is just typical DM exaggeration and didn't actually happen

[nickymanchester]

I was recently having a chat with a friend and she claimed that some schools were segregating children based on sex.

I said that, ok, they may do this for games and PE but nothing else. But she insisted that there were schools that did this in all lessons and quoted the Daily Mail as her source.

I immediately thought but later went to try and find what she was talking about. It turns out that the DM are claiming that in some Islamic schools in Birmingham that:-

One need not read far into the so-called Trojan Horse ‘conspiracy’ before coming across the name Tahir Alam. Alam was once the chairman of governors at Park View school, where Department of Education inspectors found that girls were made to sit at the back of the class.

I haven't been able to find this report so I just wondered if anybody could point me in the direction so I can see if it's true or not. I really cannot believe that in any school in this country:-

girls were made to sit at the back of the class

I've also asked this question in Feminist Chat as well

My DD's school did this in maths. DS followed a few years later but don't know if they did it for him. Will have to remember to ask him

Thanks Drama I'll have a read of it.

Oh my god Chilly that's terrible. Schools are trying to encourage girls in STEM subjects and they used to do things like this?

There is a pre-prep/prep school in chelsea which teaches the sexes separately - Garden House

I think the idea behind it was the same as single sex schools in that quite often they learn better. I have to say that I think it was an experiment so it may not have been continued.

She had a shite teacher anyway so not sure single sex or co-ed lessons would have made much difference!!

I will report back when I ask her

I worked in a school that did this in some subjects. The idea was actually to increase attainment for both boys and girls. Research shows that boys generally take up a lot more (can't remember the exact percentage) of the teacher's attention than girls so single sex classes allow girls to ask and answer more easily. It seems a bit odd to me though and I think a good teacher can manage both girls and boys together.

I think that when OFSTED went in and discovered that this was happening, it was knocked on the head sharpish.

I believe that they were concerned less about the actual segregation than putting the girls at the back, where it could be argued that it placed them as less than equal.

Pretty sure it was remedied not long after, if local news is to be believed.

I think there is a confusion here between teaching girls and boys in separate classes which happens in lots of schools and is totally normal and fine (no different to same sex schools) and actually segregating girls and boys within the same classroom, and making girls sit at the back which is not on really.

Ofsted reports should be available on line, if this was spotted I would assume it would be noted.

Brockhurst/Marlston House is a Prep school in Berkshire that does exactly this. It is a growing movement in the Private sector single sex teaching with Coed schools. Girls really benefit from it.

Berkhampsted School in Herts does this. They call it a diamond school, children are taught together then from 11-16 separately and then together again for 6th form.

Single sex classes are okay - as long as the education/standard of education is the same.
Segregated classrooms can be okay - but not putting all girls at the back. If you want to segregate why not put boys on one side and girls on the other? Thats what Shaker schools used to do. Teachers would have to ensure they weren't favouring one side over the other.

Yes, this did happen - but it's quite old news now (last year)

www.sec-ed.co.uk/best-practice/single-sex-classrooms

I have no problem with single sex classes provided that both girls and boys have equal access to good teaching and resources. I can't see how single sex classes in a coed school is worse than single sex schools.

When I was at school they did this in a few subjects - History & Geography I think (possibly Science too but I can't quite remember). Was quite nice having lessons without the boys I think! It's only an issue if girls (or boys!) are being disadvantaged through this - if it's just to ensure good learning with fewer distractions in certain year groups, I don't think it's an issue.