Single sex mixers/socials - what year do they start?

[sushiforever]

My dd is in year 9 of a single sex school and she is starting to worry about ever getting the opportunity to mix socially with other boys. Her school has occasional socials but they seem to be few and far between and for the older years. What happens in other schools? Would be good to know so have an idea if school is lagging behind on this! Thanks 😏

Send her to the local comp and get a hobby for yourself 😀

Helpful comment there, @roisinagusniamh

Leaving aside the 'socials', OP, you raise an interesting point - namely how children who don't have opposite-sex siblings and who are at single-sex schools ever get to meet the opposite sex? Especially once you've factored in Saturday school.

My DC have been at single-sex schools from 4 onwards - but as I have boys and girls, they have always mixed with the opposite sex out of school. That said, there is much less opportunity for them to to this during term-time.

I went to an all-girls school from 5, as did my sisters. I don't think any of us spoke to a boy until we went to university. Though I can't say it bothered us much.

Does your DD play an instrument? There are lots of holiday courses for musical children - either 'day' courses, or residential. My DC do these, and love them. None of mine is sporty, but there may be similar things for sporty teenagers (though maybe sport would tend to be segregated by gender...)

When I was at school it just want happening so I joined a group outside of school (venture scouts - not that I’m outdoorsy at all) to socialise with kids from other schools including boys. It helped open up a new social group throughout the next few years (y11-13)

wasnt happening - typos are bad!

The mixers are a pretty established public school thing and are arranged by most of the other schools I know (and according to the school blurb my dd's school is meant to be linked to 4 local schools for this) of on a more or less regular basis as a matter if course ... so my question was not so much if or how or should the school provide them but which year they start, details etc
and
the fact that you are talking about a rural public school with lots of boarders

... might have been pretty helpful information to give out initially ?

Tallk about a drip feed.

You do realise that a very tiny minority of people have any experience of this ? So mentioning it in your title Single sex mixers/socials at public schools with boarders - what year do they start? would have meant only people who had a clue would open the thread / offer you advice.

sushiforever this was a bugbear if mine when my DD was at all girls school, similar set up to what you describe. I think PTA needs to be proactive, and contact PTA at any local boys schools to arrange things. If not a social (can be pressurised) something like debates or fun sports activities (mixed netball? Touch rugby?). For those saying “just meet boys out of school” you clearly have no concept of the very long days, including weekends, that this type of school entails.

DD went to a mixed sixth form, I would suggest you consider this for completion of the socialisation process 😉

Thank you - I will

Sushi my dd (year 10) is also set on going co-Ed for sixth form!

My DD's school is coed but many of her friends were at single sex before moving there and they moved to be in a coed school to meet girls. That said plenty of time, year 9 is very young still, dd didn't have a boyfriend until year 11

you clearly have no concept of the very long days, including weekends, that this type of school entails.

.... which is exactly why that information might have been useful at the top of the thread.

Maybe get your DD to do a mixed sport such as fencing or badminton. Coed sixth form may be a good idea.

My DD's single sex school had Saturday night socials with a local boys' school from Years 7 - 9. For Years 10 and 11 it wasn't deemed necessary, or indeed wanted! I know a lot of parents thought the socials should be an activity, such as the ten pin bowling mentioned by a PP, rather than discos, but that hadn't happened by the time my DD left the school.