Girls school politics, what is normal?

[Toooldforthat]

DD is in y5 in a girls school and I am gobsmacked by how mean the girls seem to be to each other. Yesterday I was thinking of miving her to a co ed school for secondary. But she usually gets dramatic when she is tired at the end of term. I went to a co ed school, I have no idea what is normal.

Hormones are flying everywhere at that age. I'm a teacher in a co ed and year 5 & 6 girls are a nightmare, they are awful to each other!

I don't know that it would be any different in a co ed.

Do you think she is being bullied? Or is it friends falling in and out with each other?

Girls that age can be really nasty

Boys can either dilute the effect or give them something else to fight about so it's swings and roundabouts really

I went to a girls' school from 10 - 18. Though there was some appalling bitchiness (mainly cliqueyness and competitiveness over expensive clothes , though bullying too) I think there is still a clear advantage to girls of being without boys, both in the classroom and outside it. I was grateful that my typical teenage relationship shenanigans didn't follow me Monday to Friday - school was always stable in that regard. And university friends at co ed schools, both state and private, have some appalling stories about sexually explicit and misogynist put downs that were bandied about constantly, just daily currency.

And that's without considering teachers' gender prejudices.

It is reassuring to know that this behaviour is at its peak at that age. I don't think she is bullied, most of the time she is happy, but she refuses to agree with everything Queen Bee says and does and this results in clashes and movements in friend groups, quite difficult to follow TBH. And they seem to be really competitive and stressed. Bring on Easter break!

y5-y8 seems to be the worst for girls, even in co-ed school.
DD1 has come out the other side; all just starting up for DD2's class.