What should you choose for your child during their Primary Education Years?
If you have half an eye on the news, you will have read the rumours that Eton will be moving to a co-educational format at some point in the future. If this happens, the school will be following the recent trend of prestigious boys’ schools admitting girls. Westminster recently announced that it will be welcoming girls from 13, while Charterhouse and Shrewsbury had already taken this decision in 2021 and 2015 respectively. Winchester College and The King’s School Wimbledon have girls joining for sixth form and one imagines it is only a matter of time until they offer a mixed education all the way up. In the London primary and prep school scene, Sabine and I have noticed a similar pattern with some all-boys’ schools. The Mall and King’s House have both announced moves to a mixed intake. In addition to this, most new schools cater for both boys and girls, such as Brighton College Prep. The march for co-education seems unstoppable but there are many arguments for considering single sex during your child’s younger years. Below we have listed the reasons for each:
Co-education
- Clients who have grown up abroad tend to be baffled by the English penchant for educating boys and girls differently. It is hard to argue with this. Children do need to learn to interact easily with the opposite sex for university, the workplace and just life in general!
- Siblings can go to school together and then there are the logistics. One school run, one school schedule to handle, one set of staff to meet, need we say more.
Single sex
- Many of the schools with the best exit results tend to be single sex. Think Falkner House, Sussex House, Glendower, and Bute House. These schools have huge amounts of experience and expertise in working with either girls or boys and getting excellent exam results.
- Research suggests girls benefit from being in a single sex environment as they feel more comfortable speaking up in class and taking on leadership positions. So, if you have a girl, you might well be leaning towards all girls from Reception to Sixth Form.
The reality is that we have seen children of either sexes thrive in both single sex or co-educational settings. We would recommend that your primary concern is more the academic results, facilities, and level of pastoral care that the institution you are looking at provides.
