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?

Totally shocked by the decision. It’s a fantastic school that enables boys to fully be themselves, and they get fantastic results because of that. It’s so highly regarded and has so many applicants for each place, I can’t believe it’s numbers driven.
With 2 girls schools already in the area, a boys school is also well placed.
Presumably they will keep the numbers they take each year the same and just cut the number of boys to accommodate the intake of girls.

I think it’s a pity too and will throw a bit of a grenade for sixth form for the girls schools possibly.

Wow! Didn’t see that coming.

My son has an offer from RGS for 7+ entry in 2025. We are a bit anxious about this change. How do you think this is going to affect the school? Education outcome? Already the school has lost quite a few points in the latest parent power rankings. Does this usually lead to some form of chaos initially? Any parents who have gone through a similar change in other schools, it will help to hear their experiences.

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, 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, especially reception to yr11.

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! 😜

Brilliant change, well overdue and so beneficial for the development of young RGS boys into balanced individuals. Shame it didn't happen while my son was at RGS. Worried about Tormead though.

I wouldn't be - we're at tormead and most commute past decent co-ed schools to get to Tormead each day. Amongst friends and dds friends, theres a reason we are there - the choice of wanting single sex, at least until 6th form.

If anyone will loose out it will be GHS, thats if RGS want to stay academically focused on their results. Then GHS will have to make.a choice as to whether it want to lower its standards to fill spaces - if they do - then perhaps worry about the other local girls schools.

Shocker - but not surprised, I have a neigbour 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. I was just typing when the post above popped up, so had to re-write, but i agree with a PP...

Our youngest DD is at Tormead Prep, certainly didnt want co-ed, we live close enough to choose alternate schools, in co-ed, but like girls only, as a PP said, at least until sixth form. We won't be moving and unless they're closeted in their opinions, tormead parents do genuinely think girls only is outstanding for girls! There was en-mass WhatsApp panic when Tormead took on Rydes Hilll that Tormead would go co-ed!

Boys only though, well, it has been on the way out for years - the stigma it attracts, right or wrong, plus the ME2 times, simply reinforced all of this more.

Conversely, if it was a girls school trying to attract boys, i could see a struggle, but more doable; but a boys school that's been a boys school for hundreds of years, and has known nothing else since the 1500s, now trying to attract girls and presuming to know how to educate girls, will find it hard!

Why would anyone choose that? Good luck to them, but I fear, apart from maybe nursery and maybe sixth form, they will struggle big time.

Do you work there? Lol

DD was at Tormead, DS was at RGS both very recently so know how little interaction the two schools had unlike woth GHS. There's a chance it will drive away a percentage of intake from Tormead.

Apparently they recently bought the sofa.com shop next to the Old Building. Don't know how they plan to fit girls' changing rooms and toilets etc. around the rest of the school though!

Their results have been dropping in recent years. GCSE grades and Oxbridge numbers have been decreasing since the end of COVID inflation. I imagine they want to restore their good results by making competition worse and bringing girls in (who supposedly perform better).

Yes, their plan is something along the lines of a gradual introduction in the L6 and in the Prep School and following through the entire school until they have half and half in 2032.

Do you really feel as if the RGS prevented your son or people he knew from becoming 'balanced individuals'? In what sense?

😅

Not sure that's true. Tormead does loads with RGS, admittedly not as much as GHS, but at prep, far, far more.

I have a hunch this won't really effect tormead in the slightest, tormead is incredibly popular for value add, facilities, all rounder, pastoral care and the old 'empowering girls' thing, plus decent but not a ademically pressured results. Totally different offering to RGS.... and GHS, where academics reign high up the list, and they do very well at that too.

RGS - if they want back up the rankings, as they've been falling due to accepting lower academic boys, due to lower birth rates, hence this move - well, they will want the cream of the crop and GHS will suffer.. alongside other girls schools on the London train line. Surbiton for example.

GHS will then have to decide whether to keep being picky and have smaller rolls or lower it's entry requirements. Only if the latter happens will the other girls schools like tormead suffer.

At prep tormead prep is literally sold to you as a 'girl power' establishment, you are advertised, sold, and you buy 'girls only' (st cats was always the same), these aren't parents who only go to TM or SCats due to no co ed option, they choose the benefits of single sex.

This is will be an interesting experiment for RGS, hopefully it works out for them and everyone else.

RGS is going co-ed…. Very surprised as there are very strong girls schools…

The Y7 numbers have been low in the last 2 years and the 11+ applications this year very low. Heard from someone who works at RGS. Boys also being pulled out because of VAT.

i’m thrilled, I don’t like single sex ed for boys and can now consider it for mine.

My son is currently at RGS senior and I’m not aware of any boys being moved out due to VAT. If there are any I don’t think it’s any more movement than normal (which is very low - I think two boys left in year 8 and spots were quickly filled). Current year 7 is slightly down on previous year apparently but not so you would notice. I imagine they “underoffered” underestimating the impact of VAT on parents choosing between RGS and state sector when the offers came in.
When VAT came in the governors were excellent in taking on as much of the cost as possible and phasing in a lower proportion of the VAT than any other school I know. I imagine this is also because, to put it crudely, RGS caters for academically able children rather than wealthy families!

So I would say this is a longer term strategic decision - possibly as others have said so they don’t need to lower bar to entry to counter VAT and lower birth rates. Whilst RGS is a boys school and it is hard to see how it retains its identity going co-ed, I think it would lose its USP completely if it lowered standards.
Will be interesting times!

@Kew1 so you know more than a teacher at RGS? I doubt it.

That’s pretty snarky. We all post on MN about our experiences. You have heard from a teacher and posted about it (that would be hearsay)

PP posted as a parent and clearly stated that she was posting about her own awareness.

SchoolDilemma the reason I posted was because I felt your comments implied a school with rapidly dropping numbers, and whilst sadly many schools are currently in that situation - RGS isn’t. It’s important to put this out there as prospective parents like yourself look at mumsnet for guidance on schools. A teacher told me last week that numbers were “slightly down” in the 2025 intake so I don’t doubt what the teacher has told you.
Best of luck with your own choices, it’s never easy.