Research and studies suggest these are difficult times to be a
boy. Girls tend to perform better than them academically
throughout each key stage of a school career and the gap is
widening. Seventy per cent of women now progress to
university compared to only 50% of men. I can't help
believing that the dramatic decline in the number of single-sex
schools over the past 25 years has directly impacted these
statistics.
Boys and girls learn differently. As a Headmaster of a
single-sex school with well over 1,000 boys I know this from seeing
it first hand, but there are a number of compelling studies which
support this theory. I watch boys in my school move with
consummate ease from the rugby field to singing in the choir to
focusing on their academic studies. A boys-only school gives
them this freedom as they are less constrained by gender
stereotypes; they are much more likely to enjoy subjects which in
co-educational schools are dominated by girls such as English and
languages. Likewise, in a boys-only school, boys are much
more likely to flourish in Art, Drama and Music.
In a boys' school the timetable, resources and individual
lessons can be tailored to suit boys' learning styles, interests
and hobbies. They prefer structured lessons and work well to
guidelines and short-term objectives. Boys like competitive
environments and perform better in end of term exams than in
coursework and some boys-only schools teach the IGCSE which does
not include a coursework element.
Teachers that have been in a boys-only environment for several
years begin to develop a deep understanding of boys' moods and
needs. They recognise that teaching boys is fun and
challenging and you can enjoy their wit, energy and
spontaneity. At single-sex junior schools, boys are more
likely to experience and enjoy male teaching role models.
Studies suggest that boys and girls develop physically, mentally
and emotionally at different rates and good teachers recognise
this. It is no coincidence that there is a growing trend for
co-educational schools to teach boys and girls in separate
classrooms.
And all this is much more important than the issue that is so
often the first focus of the single sex debate - the advantage
of a single-sex environment being that boys are not distracted by
girls nor do they need to show off in front of them or be overly
concerned about their appearance. This is true, but it is not
the driving force. However, most single-sex schools will ensure
there is interaction with the opposite sex. At Bolton School
we are lucky in that we truly have the best of both worlds as the
Girls' Division sits at the other side of the quadrangle and there
are regular collaborations in drama, music and sport as well as
academic enrichment.
The bottom line is that single-sex schools still work and this
is reflected annually in the league table of top performing
schools.
Mr Philip Britton
Headmaster