Why Choose a Single-Sex Prep School?
To only promote single-sex education for girls after the age pf eleven does a disservice to girls-only prep schools. The idea that co-education is best in the formative years of young girls is as much a myth as the suggestion that single-sex schools shield young girls from the ‘real’ world.
A girls-only education is so much more than that. It is precisely this type of education that equips girls with the attributes and qualities needed to take their place in the world as confident, educated and well-balanced young women.
We know that the girls in single-sex senior schools do so much better than their counterparts in coeducational settings and this is well documented. These young women account for a disproportionately large share of top grades in STEM subjects; this is often put down to the removal of gender stereotypes, because in these settings all subjects are girls’ subjects.
Less is written about the benefits of placing girls in single-sex prep schools and yet it is at precisely this age that so many early, and sometimes subtle, stereotypes are formed. An environment free of gender stereotypes where all the leadership positions, all the council positions, and all the sports team memberships (including football and basketball) are held by girls can have a profound effect on the confidence of young girls. They are not required to adapt or modify their behaviour, often to their disadvantage, for anyone else, and this can be a powerful motivator towards positive self-belief.
There are many co-ed schools where girls can be seen at break-time, retreating to the outer perimeter of the playground to practice their dancing and gymnastics, or simply to sit with their friends, as boys dominate the central areas – often playing football. Boys rarely complain about the girls and yet in contrast girls see the boys as ‘disrupters’.
Neurologically, boys and girls are different. This is a strong determiner in how they learn. Girls respond more readily to written and verbal feedback and often need encouragement to contribute orally during lessons. Overly confident boys can dominate lessons, leaving young girls feeling marginalised and lacking in confidence.
Furthermore, in a society where anxiety and mental instability are more common than ever before and where the notion of ‘imposter’ syndrome is rife in girls and women (even those holding posts in high-powered professions), girls need an education that empowers them. This begins in their most formative years. Girls-only schools are not establishments designed to protect young girls, they are necessary to provide equality of opportunity so that girls feel able to take risks, make mistakes, collaborate and lead others.
