Rgs guildford to go Co-Ed

[FabulousFlamingos]

Very interesting move - let's see how that pans out!

Nursery, reception, year 3 and lower sixth 2027.

Year 7 2028.

Oh wow! Although I suppose not entirely unexpected as lots of Surrey schools have done similar or merged.

im not a parent there. I’d be interested to know how that has gone down.

Gosh, i just always expected they would never change.

Given there are 4 girls-only schools in the town I assumed they would continue as the only all-boys. I would have thought they still had enough demand at seniors at least but maybe it's less popular at prep level. They would be the only co-ed private in the town I think so may do well...unless another does the same.

Yeah quite a surprise! Guess boy numbers weren't looking great in the medium to long term.

I think they'll struggle to be honest,c there are lots of other co ed options on the periphery of Guildford.

A pretty large percentage of girls at ghs and tormead, for example, commute daily past multiple co ed options, because the girls and parents want a single sex education.

Unless they have some new space allocated, I also don't see where any expansion in numbers can take place? Surely this will be to the detriment of any lesser academic boys, swapped for any girls they do manage to pick up.

Very odd move though - maybe mr cox has been there too long and needed a new project! 😜

Both my sons went to RGS (younger left in 2020) and I couldn’t speak more highly of the school. I’m pretty surprised at this but given the lack of co-ed private options in Guildford I can see why they’ve decided to make the change. As in I’m sure there’s a market.
I’m also quite sad as I’m a big advocate of single sex education.
It’ll be interesting to see how it pans out.

Totally agree a market for co ed in guilford... but also a market for single sex boys in Guildford. Given they don't seem to have any extra space, why swap the same size school with boys, for a co ed school, unless they were seeing a future problem with numbers, especially in the prep school given the number of entry points they mentioned.. As you say, be interesting to see how it pans out.

Yes I think you’re right @FabulousFlamingosI imagine they’re concerned especially about prep numbers. Mine went to a standard state primary so I don’t know much about the prep side of things!

and if there was a good rationale in the prep going co-ed then it makes sense to feed all those through to senior, not send half your prep kids off to another senior.

That’s interesting, it’s not a school I would have thought would be struggling for numbers!

I agree. And the only rationale for these type of things is poor numbers and/or future financial issues.... going Co Ed is seldom a cultural choice and more often than not - a necessity.

There isn’t really a co ed option at junior level for Guildford so that makes a lot of sense and will allow them to continue to be academically selective even if private numbers overall go down. For seniors, Tormead and St Cats are doing well single sex wise but a lot of people actively don’t want GHS but end up choosing it for the academic results. I guess RGS would be appealing as it traditionally has the academic appeal/rigour and music standards etc without a lot of the issues that GHS is said to have. If you’ve got a really really academic girl you might be relieved to find somewhere that caters to that without having to go through the GHS thing. Not saying that Tormead and St Cats don’t have very bright girls who do well, but it’s a different offer.

I genuinely don’t think there are financial issues but they may not want to dilute their academic credentials if the pool of boys going to independent school shrinks.

Shocker – but not surprised. I have a neighbour with a lad at the RGS prep, and he says there’s talk about classes getting smaller lower down. That would’ve hurt their senior school as time moves on.

If they want to maintain standards, I would imagine this will attract GHS girls. Then, if the GHS 'required academic-level pool' of applicants shrinks, GHS will have to decide whether to change standards or not to fill places.

For context we’re at Tormead prep; haven’t found a person yet who was looking for co-ed. Everyone chooses it for the girls-only aspect. I imagine St Cats are the same. It’s literally what the two schools hard-sell – girl power! Mass panic took place to the point of the leadership having to run parent info events when Tormead took on Rydes Hill, as everyone was concerned it would go co-ed.

It will be nice to have a choice. But the benefits of single sex are well known and chosen. Look at what happened when Halstead went co-ed – around 20 girls bailed to join Tormead, and others went to other schools.

I’m intrigued – but there’s definitely a numbers issue now or foreseen, otherwise why bother?

Yes, obviously the single sex schools extol the virtues of single sex and by and large the parents are there because they have bought into that. I can’t think of an academically or musically strong co ed prep in the Guildford area though so if parents are looking for that this will give them an alternative to GHS

I dont think this is necessarily a sign that the school is currently in crisis. But rather a shrewd move to future proof the school against the significant drop in birth rate and the impact this will have on the education sector (both private and state) in future years. I currently have a son at the prep and his Year group (lower down the school) is full to the max, but I imagine for those entering nursery and reception the numbers will be lower, as the birth rate falls off a cliff in their birth years. Even state schools in London are struggling to stay open for this reason and have spaces in historically full schools. Also the modern working world is coed and I imagine that going forward parents in younger generations will see this as a must for their kids.

Well the only co-ed prep, at the moment, in Guildford is Rydes Hill.

If you're a girl; St.Cats, Tormead and GHS are perfectly academic and musically successful - so unless you really want co-ed specifically, RGS only offers the addition of some boys - and whether that’s a good thing or not, is personal preference!

Rydes Hill isn't academically selective, but warm, welcoming, smaller and personal - and historically got girls into the top schools (several lovely girls in my DDs class) so must have great value add... so Rydes may become a potentially good option for any boys who cant fit into RGS any more!

I imagine it's because of the drop in birth rate. State schools are starting to have to lower their PANs, and I know of one (primary) that was planned to be built in Berkshire but no longer is because there aren't the numbers.

St Cats and Tormead are a different sort of offer to GHS and RGS

I understand the birth-rate argument, but the idea that schools need to be co-ed because the modern working world is co-ed is a bit of a stretch.

Yes, workplaces are mixed — but that doesn’t mean girls learn or develop best in mixed settings. Research has shown this consistently. In fact, many parents actively choose girls’ schools because they give girls uninterrupted space to speak up, take risks, be every role and lead before they enter that co-ed world. There’s plenty of evidence that girls’ confidence and academic performance often flourish in single-sex environments.

And if younger parents universally saw co-ed as a “must,” girls’ schools wouldn’t continue to be busy, in places highly competitive for space and not opening up to boys as much as boys schools are doing the opposite. The demand is still very clear.

I think that while RGS may well be future-proofing for demographic shifts, the “modern world is co-ed, so schooling must be too” argument oversimplifies things. For many families, the benefits of girls-only education remain a deliberate and valued choice.

I sort of get your point, but partially.

What I do think though, perhaps considering your last post the most, is that the school that may loose the most girls out of this, if any, is GHS

I think GHS will lose the most for prep and going forward into seniors. I think the sixth form girls in the short term will come from other schools looking for an academic boost and/or co ed before university. GHS girls leaving at sixth form tend to want to go somewhere completely different imo

Frankly I think the ‘modern work place’ argument is nonsense and both boys and girls can flourish in single sex environments.
It was certainly brilliant for my sons who have gone on to be successful academically, emotionally intelligent and socially confident in chosen universities and careers, as have most of their peers!
My experience as a former parent at RGS senior is that of an exceptionally well run and managed school and I’m confident this move is a ‘future proofing’ one as the birth rate drops and cost of living rises.
I’m a bit sad about it but can totally see why they’ve decided to go this way.

I agree with your first point entirely, and this isnt reallly me arguing, just furthering the discussion...

...yes, future-proofing makes perfect sense, it's exactly what they are doing— every school has to think about demographics.

But what I find hard to move past, is the fact that a boys’ school that has operated since the 1500s as a boys-only institution can suddenly claim to understand what girls need educationally, pastorally, or developmentally. That expertise doesn’t appear overnight, and it’s precisely why established girls’ schools exist.

It’s also contradictory to say single-sex education is valuable, but it’s fine to drop it the moment numbers get tight, doesnt do much for your school ethos and what you claim to stand for - if it's clearly flexible based on circumstances.

If single-sex really matters for how children learn and grow — especially during the most formative years — eg. for girls, especially in earlier years, research shows this to be true - then it can’t simultaneously be something you can just switch off for convenience. That argument doesn’t quite hold together.

So yes, future-proofing is sensible. But presenting co-ed as a natural or inevitable “next step” ignores the fact that educating girls well requires long-standing knowledge, culture, and practice. A historic boys’ school simply doesn’t have that baked in, and it’s strange to pretend or expect otherwise.

@FujiMountaincan’t disagree with that! I went to a girls school myself and doubt I would choose co-ed for a daughter for all those reasons. It will certainly take some years to bed in despite best intentions and plans (which I’m sure the school has).
However I’m aware this is a minority view as most people I know with kids at state and private thought we were quite mad for going single sex, despite the evidence of the benefits.

Always been the way, but there's a market for it, especially good ones. Just odd we have a number of really great single sex schools in Guildford!

My daughter is a lt single sex independent and I can't imagine her at a co-ed - even as i also have a boy at a co-ed - it really is a different kettle of fish! And, whilst not to talking down the co-ed my lads are at (its good!), my DD has infinitely more opportunities than the girls at DSs school do.