The Benefits of Single Sex Education

The obvious advantage of an all girls’ education is that it results in higher academic achievement and progress. Girls at single-sex state schools in England get better GCSE results than those in mixed schools, according to an analysis of the 2015 GCSE results by the data analysts SchoolDash. This advantage for girls' schools remains even when other factors are taken into account, such as social background or a selective intake.

There are other social and developmental benefits to an all girls’ education which may themselves influence this higher academic performance.

Girls function differently when boys are not present. We find that our girls will speak out more, ask more questions and exhibit greater confidence. In the classroom, on stage, in the hallways, on the playing field or behind the microphone, they give free reign to their enthusiasm, competitiveness and passion. Their participation in extra-curricular activities is based on personal choice rather than choosing not to participate for fear of failure or ostracism by boys. We find our girls are more ambitious and less willing to silence themselves.

At TGGS we create a learning environment where girls can prosper without the stereotypes that can limit choices. In 2016 over 45% of our girls took up degree courses in Science, Technology, Engineering or Maths compared with only 13% nationally. Our girls are given a chance to develop leadership skills and to be risk takers and they are more likely to evolve a model of team work and co-operation closely aligned to modern views about leadership.

We find our girls tend to be less competitive than boys, but more demanding of themselves; they are more cooperative and prefer to discuss and tease out ideas. They prefer to work in groups and gain strength from each other, rather than seeing fellow students as a threat to their place in the learning hierarchy. They are more open minded about their roles and possibilities in society.

However TGGS is not a convent and it is important that our girls interact with boys. Conveniently, as well as allowing the adjacent boys grammar school to share our paddock, the boys and girls travel in together on the buses and trains. Many social events such as the Y11 & Y13 Balls and lower school discos are mixed. Generations of girls at TGGS have shown themselves to be adept, even ingenious, at ensuring they make contact.

You can be reassured that our girls are able develop healthy relationships with the opposite sex and this is backed by the results of a long-term tracking study by Prof Sullivan at the Institute of Education. This found that there was no difference in the likelihood of marriage between women from single sex schools and their co-ed peers. One difference they did find however, was that the mid-life wages of girls from girls’ schools were higher!

Here at TGGS we believe that we can help girls to be more confident in themselves and make them feel that they don't have to become a particular type of girl. This enables them to relax more. In the hurly burly of the modern world, that has got to be a good thing.