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The truth about same-sex schooling
Sponsored by Queenwood
By Amy Cooper
When it comes to single-sex education, NSW enjoys greater choice than most other states, with multiple options for girls-only and boys-only schools in both government-funded and independent sectors.
It’s a choice worth considering, says Loren Bridge, executive officer of The Alliance of Girls’ Schools Australasia (AGSA). “More and more, the research is telling us that the single-sex environment has so many advantages – particularly for girls, but also for boys,” she says.
Confidence is key
Loren Bridges believes confidence is the single most important attribute for young people, and especially so for girls in a world where there’s still a gaping gender gap.
“If a young person is confident, they do well in their studies, they do well socially and emotionally,” she says. “It comes down to giving girls confidence and developing a sense of fearlessness to step up and take on leadership, the C-suite, political roles or just stand up for their own opinions.”
Girls’ schools, she believes, nurture girls’ confidence at a time in life when it’s likely to be most vulnerable. “Teenage years are challenging. You’re finding out who you are, developing your identity, feeling self-conscious.”
The presence of the opposite sex, and the complex dynamics it can create while teen hormones range, are not always beneficial for teenagers’ confidence, she adds.
Confidence is key. Credit: Getty
“Research supports that girls in single-sex schools feel more confident, assertive, more willing to ask questions in class and take a risk of getting it wrong,” says Bridge.
Girls in single-sex schools also benefit from abundant positive modeling, with female principals, teachers and alumnae creating an inspiring community of successful mentors leading by example, she says.
Busting gender stereotypes
There’s strong evidence that single-sex schools are pushing back against stubborn old gender stereotypes.
Studies have shown that girls at single-sex schools are more likely to pursue their interests in traditionally “male” subjects such as maths and sciences, and to compete in male-dominated sports activities.
In a single-sex school, says Loren Bridge, “You’re not the only girl in the physics class, so you’re not on your own or in a minority.
Girls in single-sex schools also engage in more healthy competition and risk taking. “Every leadership position in a girls’ school is held by a girl, whether it is the captain of the cricket team or the school captain,” says Loren Bridge. “That opportunity to lead or participate is really valuable and connects back to that crucial confidence.”
The academic advantage
In academic performance, research strongly supports the case for single-sex schools. “They are outperforming Australian co-ed schools,” says Loren Bridge. “In NSW in particular, even in studies allowing for socioeconomic impact, they still come out on top in HSC and in NAPLAN.”
In academic performance, research strongly supports the case for single-sex schools.Credit: Getty
In NAPLAN and Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) studies, she points out, Year 7 girls in single-sex schools were more than 12 months ahead of co-ed students in reading and almost nine months ahead in mathematics. And the results are also positive for boys.
Says Loren Bridge: “A key area for girls’ academic strength in single-sex schools is STEM subjects.”
According to one study, although 22 per cent of female students in New South Wales attended a single-sex school, 40 per cent of female engineering students at the University of Technology in Sydney were from girls’ secondary schools. The researchers concluded that the “culture of a single gender school allows a young woman the freedom to reach beyond stereotypical career expectations.”
The female factor
“For girls, single-sex schools play a key role in a world that, sadly, is still somewhat loaded against women”, says Loren Bridge. These schools provide support, community and a feeling of belonging that students refer to as “the sisterhood” all at a crucial developmental stage.
“The way you perceive your self-image can be so easily damaged when you are young,” says Loren Bridges.
“At girls’ schools there is a determination to purposefully teach the girls about their gender and the issues they might face and to help them build resilience so that later, when they’re older and not so vulnerable, they’re equipped to deal with a world that’s not always fair or equal.
“We need more strong women to bring about that diversity in our boardrooms and in our parliaments, and that begins in schools.”
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“For more than 90 years, Queenwood has nurtured girls on their journey to becoming young women who are curious, generous of spirit and committed to shaping the world we live in” says Queenwood Principal, Ms Elizabeth Stone. “A single-sex environment creates space for them to develop a strong sense of identity and learn free from inhibition or limiting expectations. Having acquired the habit of asking questions and speaking out, of taking risks and assuming leadership, our young women move into adult life with assurance and purpose.” For more information, please visit www.queenwood.nsw.edu.au.