RGS Guildford exploring CO-ED?

[FruityLoopie]

DS is at RHS Guildford, while DD is elsewhere—naturally! :-)

I recently received an interesting survey from RGS, directed at parents, regarding the school.

Much of it covered fairly standard topics, but certain questions stood out—particularly those concerning girls. Some enquiries were rather cryptic, almost as if subtly gauging parents' sentiments about daughters and their potential connection to RGS.

Over the weekend, I caught up with some friends at our children's sports activities, and they shared a similar impression.

Once you engaged with the questions regarding girls (i.e., ‘if one has a daughter’), the survey seemed to take an unexpected turn, focusing entirely on DDs.

It certainly appears that the school is actively exploring something in this regard.

I’m curious—have any other parents outside my circle noticed the same, or are we simply too suspicious?

St Albans School announced yesterday that it is going co-ed in Y7 from next year (2026).

While it’s had girls in the 6th form for a long time this came as a bolt from the blue for those of us who have just accepted Y7 places for our sons this September.

However, I gather existing parents were previously sent a survey gauging views on going co-ed so you’re perhaps right to be suspicious. Aside from the VAT landscape, the birth rate drops fairly sharply from the current Y6s onwards so schools must have concerns about maintaining applicant numbers (and standards, for academically selective schools).

I really don’t think so, no. They have many applicants per place. I took the questions about girls to be more about collaborating with local schools and gathering a picture of family situations. I think the school is so well managed - to your point - perhaps they’re considering all options to keep costs down and calibre of students up. But I would be absolutely staggered if the RGS went co-ed.

I've heard similar thoughts from one RGS parent I know, this is very intriguing. They also felt that it was a pre-coed survey, or litmus test.

They already collaborate with GHS and Tormead, plus sometimes StCats too... and they do that without consulting / asking, so there's got to be something more to it than that.

I agree they have a lot of applicants, but, unlike a "Girls' only" education, "boys only" is certainly fading out and becoming less of a definitive educational choice. The number of boys' schools going coed far outstrips the number of girls (if any at all) doing the same.

Edit: typo

RGS don’t need to consult on activities with GHS etc because those are already in place.

I didn’t fill out the survey (too busy) but it’s a fairly common question in single sex schools to understand what kind of crossover parents do or don’t want.

We got the same survey! DS's sister is at a local girls establishment, so initially followed the line of enquiry, until it got a bit obvious what they were asking!

Would also be flabagasted if they went coed...

But isn't one of the lead governors at the RGS also the Headmaster of Abingdon School that's also going Coed this year??

Perhaps it's a trend and could indeed be on the horizon!

In my view, there is little to no reason to ask unless a change is being considered or proposed.

I believe the link may no longer be active, but had it been accessible, I would have encouraged you to explore it.

It delved far deeper than merely asking, "Do you have a daughter elsewhere?" or "Would you like more joint bake sales with GHS?"

I know nothing about RGS and obviously St Albans School is a completely separate institution. But I can say that it’s oversubscribed for places (around 4 applicants for each place this year, broadly in line with previous years, albeit most of those will be applying to other schools and SAS may not be their first choice). They say the pupil roll this September is expected to be higher than ever before.

But I think they’ve made a smart move - independent schools are generally facing very strong headwinds so it makes sense to implement such a change at a time when the school is in a strong position. If you leave it, you risk a downward spiral of falling numbers thanks to VAT/CoL and birth rates and then any big change looks like a desperate attempt to stop the ship sinking.

I think that schools which have gone Co Ed so far have often merged two single sex schools with the same “foundation” eg Haberdashers schools in Monmouth. I don’t think that’s the case in Guildford.

That’s not the case with St Albans School. Apparently the separate girls’ school, St Albans High, put out a statement yesterday (coincidentally or otherwise) reaffirming its commitment to single sex education. That said, there does appear to be more of an ongoing demand for all girls’ schools than all boys’.

Thanks!

I've seen this happen before and the school introduced Co-ed at Sixth form.
It would be interesting if they moved co-ed as they are mainly single sex schools in Guildford.

I believe many boys' schools are gradually coming to the realisation that their place in the educational landscape is becoming increasingly uncertain. Perhaps RGS has reached a similar conclusion—after all, all their international initiatives are coeducational, and most of what we see are photos of Dr. Cox in some far-flung destination, 'engaging' with them.

Of course, this is a generalisation—I fully acknowledge that. However, for better or worse, boys-only institutions have garnered a rather poor reputation over the years, often associated with misogyny, laddish behaviours, and the effects of the #MeToo movement. This is, in part, why girls' schools continue to grow in popularity.

So, you’re absolutely right—if a transition is on the cards, making the move while the school is in a position of strength, rather than appearing reactive or desperate, would certainly be a strategic decision.

The challenge, as ever, remains the same—where do the girls come from? A girls’ school transitioning to coeducation is typically more straightforward, but persuading families to send their daughters to an institution with 1,000 boys already in place is a far greater challenge.

A merger is always a possibility, but in RGS’s case, there isn’t an obvious local partner. Our nearby girls’ schools are thriving and oversubscribed.

Speaking from experience, we specifically chose a local girls’ school for our daughter, as did everyone I know—our WhatsApp groups are filled with parents who value single-sex education for their daughters. The example given earlier about St. Albans High highlights just how steadfastly girls’ schools must reassure parents that they are not opening their doors to boys to retain their pupils.

That said, our decision to send DS to RGS was simply a matter of locality—nothing more. In fact, we could argue, value for money, that our DD is receiving an better education at her school.

A coed sixth form would make sense. Mixing GHS-RGS-Tormead in the centre of town would be a winner.

But would all three schools agree?

Demands for girls only is strong, peope pick it over existing coed schools already, as many girls for tormead and ghs travel into Guildford, past decent coed options!

Although a coed through school in Guildford might be nice, I'm not sure the girls schools will be effected at all.

But - perhaps a sixth form would work, girls are older and more willing to then be in a mixed environment, with more mature boys.

It will be interesting to see what rhe RGS is up to

It would be remiss of them not to occasionally consult their parent body about this topic and get a view on how they are feeling. One of the things that really put me off RGS was how cramped it all felt. If they take an approach similar to Monmouth (which we also looked at, loved, DS had a place, and then our life went a different direction...) and turn it into a campus spread across the town, I can see a real advantage.

We weren't consciously looking for single sex, but our older son did end up at an all boys school, which then introduced girls for 6th form while he was there and has since gone fully co-ed. His brother's school was also single sex, but went co-ed many years ago. A lot of them have over the years, including the one my brothers attended, whereas my all girls school still is.

There is only one girls school I can think of that has gone co-ed (rather than merge with another like Monmouth) and that is because it was dying. Accepting boys, with a HUGE discount for the first couple of cohorts refilled and saved it.

Yeah PP, it's funny, the girls schools just carry on.

There's so many examples of local interaction, as a PP mentioned earlier on, St Helens and St Katherine's in Abingdon doesn't seem bothered by the Abingdon School coed move at all.

Another is to look at Godolphin (girls) in Hammersmith, Latymer is almost opposite and went coed some time back, it's now huge, but the girls school is still thriving.

Girls need safe spaces to grow ans parents know that. I agree sixth form is an interesting compromise.

Ps. Didn't know about the Abingdon Head on the Board of Govenors at RGS!

Popped straight to this one! We've just picked a girls school, would no way move for a coed option. Love the collaboration though, it works whilst giving the girls their own space too.

Sixth form, maybe. But that's a long way off for us.

Heard similar at a birthday Saturday. Lots of bemused RGS parents. Lots seeminly didn't do it either.

What was more spoken about was the survey itself was facilitated by a company that is owned by another member of the RGS governing board.

Hilariously, most were more concerned about the declared interest and cash spent on it, than the obvious DD questions! 😂

I also completed the survey from RGS.

A significant number of questions focused on parents' daughters. Given that RGS has always been proudly single-sex for boys, this focus seemed unusual.

Reading between the lines, I can’t help but also wondering: is the school seriously considering going coeducational? The way the questions were framed didn’t just seem like general curiosity but more like an information-gathering exercise with a clear purpose.

These are the type of surveys my company uses for data harvesting, usually to back up (or not) a business case.

It wouldn’t be entirely surprising though.

In recent years, more independent boys’ schools have chosen to go co-ed, while successful girls' schools have largely remained single-sex, continuing with strong demand. There seems to be a growing trend of boys' schools making the switch, perhaps to stay competitive or broaden their appeal.

If RGS were to go co-ed, it would be a huge shift, fundamentally changing the school’s identity and dynamic. I imagine this would spark considerable debate among current parents, alumni, and prospective families.

As per the OP has anyone else noticed this from the survey? Do you think RGS is seriously exploring this option?

Gosh, what news.

They'll always be a market for a coed school in Guildford, but only as much as there's a market for RGS as a boys school in guildford. Like someone else mentioned, most kids don't live in Guildford and travel in, there are plenty of coed schools in our area, easily accessible and thus avaiable as a choice to most. People choose boys, girls or coed in Surrey - we have a LOT of school choice.

If they did go coed, I see they could maybe steal a few top GHS or Tormead girls and drop a few boys, thus increasing their grades. But to expand numbers and go Coed, where on earth do you put them?!?! Rgs is, as per a PP, crampt as heck.

We're at Tormead and compared to RGS's campus, we still feel spacious.

The only way would be a merger with another school and there's no way United Learning would go for it, and I can't see tormead going for it either.

We literally just got news at Tormead of our new partners in Rydes Hill a month ago and ever since the SLT, communications, Head and Prep Head have been reassuring panicking parents that boys aren't going to start appearing.

I'm pretty confident that this is no more than a survey that's been taken out of context, because RGS going coed just seems ridiculous. Good luck with that!

Westminster also has many applicants per place… and is going co-ed. That is the way the wind is blowing; co-ed is popular, and it also instantly doubles the pool of children from which to select.

There are so many examples of this happening at what were formerly boys’ schools - just among the London day schools, Latymer Upper and Highgate have both prospered enormously as a result*. It continues to erode the number of places available for boys, of course, as (unless there is huge scope for expansion) every girl admitted fills what would previously have been a boy’s place.

*Edited to add: see also Alleyn’s and Emanuel.

I would think the girls parents would be stronger for remaining same sex only than the boys - that's only based on my circle of friends.

I think it would be an alternative offering rather than taking places from the girls school - for example we choose the co-ed route and therefore if RGS was co-ed from YR7 would have been in scope for us to apply, whereas GHS and Tormead were never an option.

Along with the international expansion - one wonders to see what is on, and beyond the horizon.

Our DS (now at RGS) came from a recent Co-Ed prep school. Looking at how the international schools are popping up, anything is possible.

What is surprising is that many travel a fair way into Guildford. There are MANY very good Co-Ed independent and single sex (boys) schools outside of Guildford (possibly along where they would travel on the train) - so there must be something about the RGS...to sacrifice the distance.

No matter, I feel there will be a significant shift (not just due to the VAT factor, but also birth rate as mentioned earlier by another contributor/post), but what that will be is to be seen.

RGS had recently announced that they will no longer be taking in year 9 entry applicants (2025 being the last year).

Perhaps, an perspective to reflect upon is the set up of St Pauls Boys and St Pauls Girls, Sherborne Boys and Sherborne Girls....

"Separate, yet together"
https://www.dorset.live/special-features/separate-yet-together-two-independent-8859343

It has been confirmed today that they are going co-ed from Sept 2027, starting with nursery, shell, yr 3 and lower sixth, and yr 7 from Sept 2028.

Looks like its confirmed.... theyre obviously doing worse than we thought and need the numbers! Co-ed from 2027...

DH, an RGS old boy, is currently reeling in shock.

Where are they going to put them? There's no space anywhere.