Closing the gender gap

Opting for a co-educational learning environment for your children comes with many academic, social, personal and developmental benefits for both sexes, explains Julie Chatkiewicz, Vice-Principal at St Margaret’s School, Herts

It’s normal to feel anxious about choosing the right school for your child because there are so many different factors to consider: personality, strengths, individual needs and special interests are all valid considerations, along with the schools’ own cultures and values and whether they’re compatible with your requirements and expectations.

Whether to move your child from a singlesex prep school to a co-educational setting at senior level is another conundrum altogether. If a child already attends a co-educational school, it may simply seem easier to follow that path. But for those looking to benefit from a collaborative, mixed-gender-learning environment, the move from single sex to co-education can be a daunting step, both for the child and their parents. The decision often depends on the educational and emotional needs of the child, together with parental values of what constitutes the ideal learning environment within which to flourish; this will of course vary from parent to parent.

Single sex or co-ed? Removing the fear factor

Moving schools can be a stressful process for all children, but those moving to co-education from single-sex may have particular worries, such as building friendships with the opposite sex, or if there are only a small number of either boys or girls at the school, receiving unwanted attention in class or on social media. Schools can help with such concerns through activities that are organised on a genderless basis, by creating positions of responsibility so that the opposite sex is respected equally, which will in turn create good role models for new pupils in the future. Year seven pastoral staff can focus on specific concerns, addressing pupils’ worries through themed assemblies and PSHE sessions.

Co-education: adding a new dimension to the classroom

Apart from improved socialisation skills, parents often consider the wider academic

opportunities of co-education for their child, as there will inevitably be a greater array of subjects and activities offered. There are also many other benefits for children learning in a co-educational environment. They’re more likely to take risks and challenge accepted views in discussions. The natural competition between boys and girls can add a very different, but positive, dimension to the classroom.

Learning in a co-ed setting can help children to appreciate and respect the potentially different views of other genders, and this can also help them later in life to become better prepared when faced with challenging situations. Curriculum-wise, teachers will cover different, broader topics in lessons rather than simply focus on subject matter, which is very narrow and more suited to a single-sex school. Without doubt, co-education improves the learning environment for both genders.

Broadening friendship groups

Socially and emotionally, children will develop a broader range of friends in a co-educational

setting and will see it as completely normal to have friendships with the opposite sex. This better prepares them for life outside the school gates. For girls in particular, a real benefit is that classroom friendships don’t have the same intensity as is sometimes the case in a singlesex environment.

The transitional period into co-education is all-important and can be facilitated through group activities, which encourages team

A STRONG PASTORAL CARE SYSTEM HELPS TO SETTLE CHILDREN when they join their new school. Parents need to be made aware of how THE SUPPORT STRUCTURE WORKS, AND WHO TO CONTACT WITH ANY CONCERNS

LONGER TERM, LEARNING WITHIN A CO-EDUCATIONAL SETTING is more reflective of the world we live in and will, in theory, RESULT IN A CHILD WHO HAS CONFIDENCE IN RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE OPPOSITE SEX AS THEY PROGRESS THROUGH LIFE

building across the sexes. A co-curricular programme with a diverse range of activities which appeals to all and encourages inclusivity, helps children to find their feet.

Creating a smooth and supportive transition

Links that co-educational schools build up with their feeder prep schools can assist with a smooth transition. Sharing information between a child’s junior and new senior school really does help.

Equally, a strong pastoral care structure helps to settle children when they join their new school. Parents need to be made aware of how the support structure works and who to contact should they have any concerns. Clear information about rules and how the school operates needs to be shared with parents via the website and through direct communication from the child’s head of year or form tutor. While the primary focus for a school may be helping new pupils to settle, there are also clear benefits to supporting new parents through the process of moving schools.

The world is co-educational

Longer term, learning within a co-educational setting is more reflective of the world we live in and will in theory, result in a child who has confidence in relationships with the opposite sex as they progress through life. The Greek philosopher, Plato was a great advocate of co-education and equal opportunities for all. This message is one that still resonates for schools today when preparing their pupils for a 21st century world, one that is without question, co-educational.

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THE ADVANTAGES OF C0-ED EDUCATION, IN A NUTSHELL

Merging the sexes at school comes with an array of positive aspects

• Boys and girls will foster mutual respect, understanding and support for one another. • Students realise and appreciate their own individual value, as well as those of each of their other classmates. • Co-education is the perfect environment to help prepare young minds for the real world. • The collaborative environment of co-education, be it working as a team or against each other, can help children overcome the fear or shyness of mixing with the opposite sex. • Stereotypes still put men and women into specific roles, but a coeducational environment can break down these barriers and give both sexes the same chances to learn a broad range of subjects that might not be available to them in a singlesex-school setting.