Single Sex Schools Vs Mixed. Your Opinion?

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I would HATE to be in a single sex school. As a girl, I think there would be far too much bitchyness

I went to a boys only primary school but then a mixed secondary school.
However many friends of mine from the boys only primary school went to many of the boys only secondary schools in the area, and they haven't been effected socially at all.

In fact I play rugby for my brothers old boys team, and his old school was boys only but socially it's not lesser, not by any means.

So I don't agree that a single sex school automatically means a person is less socially active

Reply 42

poiuy

Original post by Stopmessing

Any particular reasons why single sex schools seem to perform better academically than mixed?

The reason why single sex schools do better, is because the majority are either catholic or grammar schools or schools which are set in middle class areas, which do better than the national average anyway. The world is not segregated by sex, so why should the class room be? Just imagine an office with a pink side for the girls and a blue side for the boys?

Saying that i did move from a mixed school to a all boys school with a mixed sixth form- but purely for the education. Definitely the boys at an all boys weren't as mature, and wouldn't be able to act normally around girls- they were either trying to act 'manly' to impress us, making women jokes, or really shy. At a mixed school you are used to seeing guys act normal, whilst at all boys they are only used to seeing girls at occasions where they try and impress you. Obviously not all, but in general, there is a massive difference.

Reply 43

nmudz_009

I think mixed secondary schools are fine because boys and girls are younger and as some people have said, the students tend to be more used to girls being around and could be socially adept having learnt interpersonal skills and the work load is easier to deal with so even if people got distracted they still did ok in exams an tests. However at Alevel there's a bigger workload and it's more important too but props get more distracted at that age, I mean when you're a 17-18 you'll be way more interested in the opposite sex at a mixed college, which leads to drama, rumours an all that crap, when focusing on work is more important than ever.

Reply 44

~D0rkG!rl~

I went to an all girls school. I reckon most of the girls there had no problem interacting with boys as my school has always been nicknamed the maternity ward. I think i'd of preferred to be in a mixed school, it might have been less bitchy and more relaxed.

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 45

Unconventional.

I'm just going to have to go on my own experience I suppose. I went to a mixed primary school, an all-girls secondary school from years 7-11 (although the sixth form was mixed), and then a mixed sixth form at a mixed school. I loved primary school, and I love sixth form. I hated the time in between.

Do you agree with 'same sex schools'?
No.

What do you prefer?
I prefer co-ed.

Do you think same sex schools are more efficient for education than mixed?
No. There are same sex schools in my city that do considerably worse than co-ed ones, and vice versa. It depends on the quality of the teaching, the funds available etc.

Does it have an effect on the social side of things, or is this a myth?
Yes, it most certainly does. From what I have experienced and heard from others, same sex schools tend to be a lot bitchier, with more sneaky tactics used to bully people rather than physical force, for example. Also in an all girls school, girls will have no problem discussing boys and their menstrual cycles at any opportunity, things that they wouldn't talk about in front of boys so that doesn't happen much at co-ed schools. I would assume similar things are talked about in boys schools, things that they wouldn't talk about with girls about. Many people in same sex schools do not have friends of the opposite sex and find them to be an almost alien species, which is very unhealthy and can cause their attitude to relationships to be damaging. Also from experience it appears that there are more bisexual girls/lesbians in all-girls schools however this may not be the case and perhaps they are just more likely to be out of the closest in that environment, I don't know. That's not a bad thing by the way, just an observation. I also think homophobia tends to be worse in same sex schools, which of course is a bad thing.

Have you personally been to a single sex school before and want to share your thoughts?
I have, and shared them above lol.

Are indeed single sex schools superior?
No. I mean, sometimes they are, but that's never BECAUSE they are single sex.

Reply 46

louisehd

I think girls have a positive impact of boys in school and vice versa, mixed all the way :redface:

Reply 47

CJ99

For those asking why single sex schools exist in the first place here are some reasons:

1) Boys and girls learn in remarkably different ways and different rates. Boys (as a generalization of the gender there are exceptions obviously) learn more by competing against each other in individual challenges. Girls on the other hand learn better in teams. Also girls mature far faster than boys. These findings have been proven by lots of research.

2) In mixed schools certain subjects end up being seen as boyish or girlish ie Art is for girls, Physics is for boys. In a single sex environment this bias doesn't exist which encourages more girls into STEM subjects and more boys into creative subjects.

Reply 48

mr-breaker

Single-sex schools exist because parents want them. Parents want them because they believe that their kids get a better education (and for parents of girls they think their daughters won't get "distracted" by boys). But, as it's already been said that better education is a result of the school being selective for reasons beyond sex (i.e they are Grammar schools so can select for attainment, or Denominational schools, or simply because they're in nicer areas and most of the kids that attend have parents that will give them further help after school........or pay for someone else to do it if they don't have the time).

I think in 2011 there's no need for single-sex schools in the UK. If the rest of the EU can do without the state segregating the sexes at an early age (outside Ireland, Malta and about 20 ecclesiastical schools in Greece) what makes us so special?

It's not like going totally co-ed is gonna hinder the UK's educational standing.......................

Reply 49

Stopmessing

Intresting posts so far! Keep them coming :biggrin:

Reply 50

DontJudge

Same sex school don't allow you to translate the real world.

Reply 51

eckothegecko

Original post by Pseudo-truth

I went to an all girls high school. I found that girls were even more ruthless there, because they didn't have guys to distract them.

I can vouch for this, I'm still at an all girls school and some girls can be so nasty. There's also all the screaming and shouting whenever a boy from 6th form walks around... It is extremely annoying, but then again I'm not sure a mixed school would be much better.
Truth be told we do get a very good education. :rolleyes:

Reply 52

Poison-The-Cure

I went to a single sex school and I definitely don't regret it. I'm sure teenage pregnancy rates are relevant in this debate.

The one time I went to a mixed school there was way too much peer pressure and everyone's a match maker. I can't work in class if I know the guy behind me is looking at my butt and the guy across in maths class wont stop staring.

Reply 53

Stopmessing

because they didn't have guys to distract them.

I don't really like this statement. You can go to an all girls school and end up getting even more distracted by guys outside of school; because you don't socialize as much with them.

Also is the actual success of 'single sex schools' down to being educated in a single sex society? Or is it due to the actual school education system, like more money, better teaching etc? I think If you did a thorough test, you wouldn't find that much of a noticable difference to those who have stuided in a single sex school, compared to those who stuided in a mixed envirornment. It would be down to the teaching, school system and of the pupils themselves, rather than the actual sex.

(edited 12 years ago)

bump

i don't agree with the concept of single-sex schools
i went to a mixed school and my brother went to a single sex
i just don't think it represents a real-life environment
also, males and females can dilute each other
having boys at my old school kept me sane i think

Reply 56

username430180

Pretty much all of my school friends were guys, I'd have hated going to an all girls school.

Reply 57

Nirgilis

Throwing 1000 boys into a tiny same-sex school is always a recipe for disaster :facepalm:

Going to an all boys school was a fine place to work academically, but the environment was horrible! In lessons, it was fine. No problem. I don't have anything to compare it with, but the competition was fierce, but that just might have been my year as we did break the SAT, GCSE and A-Level records for the school :lol:

.. The environment though, was awful. Walking down corridors with large groups of bratty lower years making it a competition to see how many people they could trip up, knock shoulders with, swear at, push, run into, pick pocket, shout at etc etc wasn't fun. Lunch and break outside was a constant game of 'dodge the flying fruit or sandwich'. The only safe haven was the 6th form area where everybody was at least sensible :tongue:

.. Maybe that was just this school though :rolleyes:

My primary school used to be divided into boys and girls' schools and it didn't work, so they changed it to mixed. I've never seen the point of single sex schools to be honest. Some people naturally work better with members of the opposite sex and it helps develop social skills.