Are single-sex schools a thing of the past? Should they be abolished or not?

I wouldnt enter one and I wouldnt send my kid to one, but I think it is ok for them to exist and it's always goof for there to be an option for ppl to choose from.
I see no point in abolishing them.

I went to a single sex school and it did not impact me negatively. In fact, I would argue that by not attending a mixed school I did better in my GCSE's - I did not have the whole 'drama' my friends experienced in other schools.

But for college I went to a mixed school and my previous experience did not make me 'socially awkward' or 'weird'.

So abolishing them, at least in my eyes, serves no benefit.

I went to a single sex secondary school and sixth form (neither of which was private) after a mixed primary school and honestly, I think my secondary school experience was a lot better because of this. It was evident that many girls were able to speak up in class and ask/answer questions more confidently and were very focussed on their studies. We were also able to have more open discussions in class than we perhaps may have if there had been boys around us, partly due to the awkward nature of certain topics and also partly due to the lack of fear of being labelled a 'nerd' or anything silly like that - if anything, it was seen as highly positive by most girls to be driven in regards to your academics. Another thing I noticed was that when it came to sixth form, there was an incredibly high number of girls studying STEM subjects - about 100/220 studying Chemistry and over 100 studying Maths! - whereas in mixed settings, it has been said that girls are not encouraged as much as boys to study these typically male-dominated subjects. Additionally, there was significantly less 'boy drama' between girls than there usually seems to be at mixed schools, so our friendships really flourished as a result.

However, some may think that sending your child to a single-sex school rather than a mixed school will result in the child being 'awkward' in social encounters with those of the opposite gender - whilst this can be true for some people, it is usually not the case. In fact, although a large percentage of the girls at my school were sent there by their parents for religious/cultural reasons, there were also many girls there who had no such issues. If interacting with the opposite gender is such a big concern of yours, you could always just ensure that your child goes to mixed clubs/has friends of the opposite gender out of school.

I'm socially awkward (I think) and I didn't go to a single-sex school so that tells you all you need to know 😅.

Ahaha, I'm the opposite - I went to an all-girls school but I have no problem with talking to/befriending guys. I just prefer not to atm because of religious reasons, but I have had male friends in the recent past. It's like that nature vs nurture debate I guess.

I spent 4 years (Year 1-Year 4) in a single sex private school. I was bullied.
I spent Years 5 & 6 in a mixed state school. I was bullied.
I spent Years 7-11 in a mixed state school. I was bullied.

My conclusion is that schools themselves are a problem. Whether they're mixed or single sex it makes no difference.

I see no reason for them to be abolished - if people want to send their kids to a single sex school, then why not?

I rarely see single-sex schools anyway unless they are private schools or are in London.

Least where I'm at.

It's certainly true there are far less around now and many have been converted, however there are still quite a few around me. I live around 20 mins away from 2 nearby towns and they each have a few single-sex schools. The majority being private, however a couple are state but very competitive to get into as far as i'm aware

I went to one they really should be abolished I feel if there were girls things would have been a bit more balanced you have 2000 boys all trying to be top dog is fights bullying or trying to get a laugh usually at other people’s expense and of course those who actually want to learn the kids hate and the teachers victimise so the rest of the class like the teacher so you have people that don’t care about grades (until they fail) and those who did care have the life squished out of them for four years hating school girls while emotional and volatile also have a calming effect on us blokes (I saw that at collage) I would never ever send my son or daughter to a single sex school.

I went to a single sex secondary school and sixth form (neither of which was private) after a mixed primary school and honestly, I think my secondary school experience was a lot better because of this. It was evident that many girls were able to speak up in class and ask/answer questions more confidently and were very focussed on their studies. We were also able to have more open discussions in class than we perhaps may have if there had been boys around us, partly due to the awkward nature of certain topics and also partly due to the lack of fear of being labelled a 'nerd' or anything silly like that - if anything, it was seen as highly positive by most girls to be driven in regards to your academics. Another thing I noticed was that when it came to sixth form, there was an incredibly high number of girls studying STEM subjects - about 100/220 studying Chemistry and over 100 studying Maths! - whereas in mixed settings, it has been said that girls are not encouraged as much as boys to study these typically male-dominated subjects. Additionally, there was significantly less 'boy drama' between girls than there usually seems to be at mixed schools, so our friendships really flourished as a result.

However, some may think that sending your child to a single-sex school rather than a mixed school will result in the child being 'awkward' in social encounters with those of the opposite gender - whilst this can be true for some people, it is usually not the case. In fact, although a large percentage of the girls at my school were sent there by their parents for religious/cultural reasons, there were also many girls there who had no such issues. If interacting with the opposite gender is such a big concern of yours, you could always just ensure that your child goes to mixed clubs/has friends of the opposite gender out of school.