Do boys need boys' schools?

In today's Times 2 I have an article about the problems with boys and schools. It came about because of a fascinating book I read recently, The Trouble With Boys: A surprising report card on our sons, their problems at school, and what parents and educators must do.

The book is written by Peg Tyre, the mother of two boys herself, and a specialist in education journalism. When Tyre started looking into this whole issue, she was amazed by the response. Parents across America contacted her to thank her for bringing this issue - fears for boys, of all backgrounds -  to the forefront.

There is so much to talk about when it comes to boys and education, and it's something which the government (and all the political parties and educationalists) are well aware of. Girls are doing better than boys these days, in GCSEs and A levels, and also entering university in greater numbers. The government has launched "Boys into Books" to help "build a platform for boys' educational success"  and last year launched the Gender Agenda, a national year of gender action research.

There is now a whole "industry" being built on the differences between girls and boys. People argue that boys should be taught differently, treated differently, and helped an awful lot more in the classroom.

Some feminists are now asking whether people are getting excited simply because girls are being given the chance to achieve. "In some ways it's nice to see women on top," admits Tyre. But she still thinks that this is a "massive cultural shift" and we do need to be concerned.

It's difficult to pay justice to this huge area in one blog post. That's why I'm going to refer you to my feature (!), ask you for your thoughts on boys and education, and move onto one thorny issue in particular, single sex education.

A few months ago I posted a piece asking whether girls need girls' schools. It had a phenomenal response, and comments keep on coming. This post was inspired by a speech from the then head of the Girls School Association, who thinks this issue is self-evident: girls, she argues, do better in their own environment. Girls Schools also perform exceptionally well in the league tables.

But what about boys? Graham Able is the master at Dulwich College, an independent school which boasts 1460 boys. Not surprisingly, he also thinks that separate schooling is vital.

"Is there a gap or difference between boys and girls? Obviously, there is," he says. "Girls mature at a much earlier age than boys, and in any classroom, the greater the range of ability and maturity, the more difficult it is to teach well."

Mr Able is convinced that boys also learn differently to girls - more visually - and that they need to "run around more and let off steam."

"Go and look at any primary school playground and you'll see lots of little girls working together, while little boys run around at great speed," he says. "There's something about the male brain which seems to find motion appealing."

But while Peg Tyre might agree with some of Mr Able's arguments (the running around, for example), she's not convinced that single sex schooling is the answer. Instead she calls for more research to be done in this area and is keener on changes to be made to the existing set-up - to understand boys better.

Dr Alice Sullivan, from the Institute of Education, has looked at the impact of single-sex education, and is not convinced that it is vital for girls or boys.

"I don't think there's any evidence that boys do worse in co-educational schools," she says. "It's very fashionable to say that they have different brains and need different teaching styles, but there's very little evidence to support it."

Yet Dr Sullivan does admit that there is some truth in the idea that single sex schools don't stereotype students as much. Boys are more likely to do humanities and modern languages, while girls are encouraged to take maths and sciences.

'On a purely anecdotal basis, I asked a number of people what they thought of boys and girls schools. Many were happy with the thought of sending their daughters to girls schools, but unhappy with the idea of educating their sons in a boys school. "Boys at secondary school need girls to civilise them," one mother of three boys told me. Another said that she wanted her sons to get used to being round girls, and was worried about the "social disadvantages". I found this fascinating.

Graham Able, naturally, would hope to persuade these parents otherwise.

"I don’t see any problem with the boys here when it comes to relationships with children of the opposite sex," he says. "In isolated boarding schools, that may be a danger, but there it is total nonsense. We are inner-city boys school."

But Angela Phillips, who wrote her own book called The Trouble with Boys back in 1993, strongly disagrees. "The social importance of putting girls and boys together outweigh anything else," she says, although she does add that "middle-class, single sex schools do well, especially girls schools."

Of course, this class argument is one which shouldn't be ignored (there's so much to say on this topic!). One of the main reasons girls - and boys - schools do so well is because of the intake (i.e selective nature) of the pupils. In America, however, there are all sorts of experiments going on. The Eagle Academy, an all male public (i.e. state) school in the South Bronx is just one example. Here boys from  disadvantaged African-American backgrounds are taught together in a single-sex school with the aim of receiving a better education.

Graham Able thinks that we need a lot more research on how children learn and what's best for them. But he's concerned that social conventions (the idea that boys shouldn't be separated from girls) might mean that boys aren't given the chance to shine.

"We shouldn’t restrict ourselves because of some social conventions" he says. "Undoubtedly it helps to be in single-sex schools."

Read School Gate on:

Do girls need girls schools?

How secondary schools are stopping children - especially boys - from being creative

Books for boys

Books for older boys

Do we need more male primary school teachers?

Comments

[Steph]

If we put girls in girls' schools and boys in boys' schools, what should we do with intersex or transgender children, or even tomboys and other gender variants? I don't think that these people would always fit or learn well in the given single sex environment.

I am female and not trans, but I have what are usually thought of as male brain tendancies, e.g. good spacial awareness, maths and science but not good at multi-tasking. I also usually find it difficult socially in an exclusively female environment.

It may be more appropriate to test people's learning styles to decide which school or class they should go to rather than just assuming their physical sex defines this.

[Gipsy]

There is an expectation though that boys and girls are essentially the same. But there are a few crucial differences that seem to be ignored. For example, boys need a lot more physical activity, and without it they're not going to learn as well. There are things that we can do to improve the education system for boys without penalising girls and without forcing everyone into single sex schools. We just have to be honest about the fact that there are gender differences, hard wired ones, that aren't down to environment. These differences are nature, not nuture.

[L]

My partner, a high school teacher, says that in his experience the majority of girls do better in mixed-sex environments, while boys do better in all-boys schools. Now there's a dilemma!

[Kim]

Times may have changed, but the conventional wisdom for years has been that girls do better in single-sex schools while boys do better in co-educational schools.

One of the problems in many areas (Birmingham, for example) is that there are more girls' schools than boys' schools, which means that in the co-ed schools, the ratio of boys to girls can be about 70-30. Local authorities resist calls to close the girls' schools because they do so well, but won't introduce boys' schools because they're unpopular. It's a tough one.

[Chris]

How many boys today have the benefit of a male teacher in a primary school? In their formative years they are subjected to very few male rolemodels and I personally think that this has a marked effect on their behaviour.
I know I will be marked down as a dinosaur here but I think that the lack of male teachers inforcing basic standards in primary schools is one of the major causes of current male teen violence.

And to Steph, you really are joking aren't you? Maybe we can have a special school for all the 7 year old trans/inter/les/bi/gays?
Get a grip please.

[barry1858]

For all practical purposes, having joint sex primary, single sex secondary and joint sex tertiary ( post 18 )makes sense to me, at least so as to avoid the huge distaction of puberty affecting the schooling process negatively.

As the product of a single sex male grammar school and a working class background, I think I enjoyed the very best educational opportunity money didn't buy, and my only negative thought is that dividing on ability/IQ would best be accommodated with ,say, four levels rather than two. The gap between the best and least able in the secondary and/or comprehensive sytem is far too wide to avoid being dysfunctional for a significant portion, and even at grammar school, the gap between top and bottom was significant enough.

However, as the state education system is populated largely by thickheads in all posts from Minister of State down, there's little hope of improvement for as long as we can see in to the future.

[Derek Holloway]

In the bland and conformist 1950's, before everyone was 'cool', Britain's teenaged boys were given the opportunity to gain male bonding, pride, and self-discipline. It was called National Service.

[Suzy M]

Chris, I agree, my 5 year old boy spent his first years in nursery surrounded by women and then has moved to primary school and is now taught exclusively by female teachers. While he is actually doing very well, I think it could only be a positive thing for him to have a good male teacher during his primary years too.

Steph, I think I have a mix of both male and female traits, I am an Architect and have good spatial awareness, I studied maths, physics and art but I am also an excellent multi tasker (even if I do say so myself! LOL) but I definitely felt that going to an all girls school helped me get there by not having the social pressures of a co-ed and the notions of what are considered suitable girls subjects.

[Cathy]

Chris: 'How many boys today have the benefit of a male teacher in a primary school? In their formative years they are subjected to very few male rolemodels and I personally think that this has a marked effect on their behaviour.
I know I will be marked down as a dinosaur here but I think that the lack of male teachers inforcing basic standards in primary schools is one of the major causes of current male teen violence.'

I quite agree (so that's two dinosaurs!). It's not just the lack of male role models in school but that, added to the lack of male role models in many homes. Not that I'm apportioning blame, of course. But boys do need men around if at all possible, just to show what men can be.

I'm often pleasantly surprised by the number of male infant teachers around these days. Men don't automatically get pushed 'up' to Year 6 any more. Part of the reason, to be cynical but honest, is that men are perhaps more likely than women to be ambitious and need experience of all age groups before they can realistically go for a deputy headship.

[terry]

I think my children have the best of both worlds! My son goes to an all boys school and my daughter to a girls school. These schools are within 5 minutes walk of each other and both school make a lot of effort to get the students to socialize ie disco, take some lessons together and use each others sports facilities! Even better my children will start to share the same bus to take them to school every morning!

Single sex educations is great but it does not work for everyone!

terry

[Sharon, New Zealand]

I have two boys at a private Boys only school here in NZ. They both went to a co-ed state primary and we did think hard about choosing a single sex school. Now two years later we have not regretted that decision at all. It has allowed them to remain boys, enjoying the rough and tumble and general chaos of being a young male without the censure of girls. They have both been able to sing in the choir and enjoy music. The oldest is rehearsing to perform in a musical and excels at languages. I am sure this happens in mixed sex schools as well but I definitely think there is more freedom to explore beyond stereotypes and as a result end up with a more rounded individual.

[Caz]

I teach music at a mixed secondary school, and was tonight discussing the changes that needed making to the different sets I teach. I realised that if I arranged the classes according to attitide, effort and ability, the top two sets would be almost exclusively female, while the bottom two would be almost exclusively male. I'm sure this is a similar story across most arts and humanities subjects at mixed comprehensives. As one poster here said, perhaps separating girls and boys when they're becoming very self-conscious and more conscious of the opposite sex would be a good idea. That way, pupils would all get a chance to do what they're good at without fear of being subjected to (too many!) gender stereotypes.

[Ben]

I find that without the CONSTANT social activity, by going to a Co ed school, i.e a girl trying to look her best 24/7 for boys at her school, or boys who need to restrict the way they act, when a 12 or 13 year old boy doesnt want to do that at all. I go to a private all boys school and i have lots of oppertunities to meet up with girls etc, and I dont need to put in much effort at all.

Boys who dont like the girls as much dont have the pressure to do so and boys who do, are normally more than happy to make an extra effort to see girls.

[Steph]

Chris,

No I wasn't suggesting another different type of school, just that dividing on gender doesn't work for everyone. Assuming all boys need to run around and all girls do not won't help the people who are not like that, just as expecting everyone to sit still and listen does not help many boys (and some girls).

[Rhianon]

I've been to see my 6 year old son's teacher 4 times now and every time she has produced another, beautiful workbook from one of her hardworking girls, to really illustrate how messy, slow and distractable my son is (yes, the last two times I asked to see a boy's but she didn't have one handy). These comparisons are doing a very thorough job of stripping him of his confidence and motivation: his performance hasn't improved and he hates going to school. His teachers attitude to him will not change and there are no other schools around here...
A choice would be ideal.

[Joe]

A decade or two ago it was boys who surpassed girls in education. Then the whole system was reorganized, taking the emphasis away from "hard" assessment by end-of-course examinations and towards "progressive" assessment at various stages. Exams suited boys, who struggle to maintain focus over a longer period but are good at cramming for a test. Progressive assessment, on the other hand, worked best for girls - and that was one of the main reasons why the change was made.

In other words, if boys are now lagging behind girls, it's because the education system has been engineered to give girls an edge. Maybe we should be thinking of pushing the pendulum back a little the other way, but separate education might just give us the best deal for both sexes.

And Steph, that's *both*, as in each of the *two*. I really don't think trannies are a big enough group to be driving this argument. They'll fit in somewhere.

[Kim]

Several years ago I wrote an article on a school using single-sex classes within a mixed-sex school for certain subjects (such as maths and science). There seems to have been a brief vogue for this but I haven't heard much about it lately. Anyone else know if schools are still doing this?

[Bronnie Dullroy]

I agree that in some schools and social environments boys are not given a range of literature suited to their needs. In previous positions, I often used to do a ‘reading interview’ with pupils with reading difficulties asking such questions as ‘How many bookshelves are in your house’ ‘What books or magazines might I find on them?’ ‘What is the first book you remember being read to you?’. The responses to these were often alarming, with many children unable to identify any fiction books at home, only magazines. Many could not remember ever being read to. Home reading environment and modeling by parents and older siblings is an important aspect of attitude to the importance of reading . School environments have no excuse for not providing adequate reading materials.

Here at QEH, the only all boys school in Bristol,both Junior and Senior school books are chosen very much with boys interests at heart, also keeping in mind that not all boys fit the stereotypical macho, sport obsessed, predominately non-fiction reader. Our librarian and English teachers (more than half of whom are males) spend a great deal of time and energy encouraging good and broad reading habits, with lessons dedicated to this as well as competitions, clubs and modeling of reading by teachers and staff.

Our teachers are well aware of the fact that boys are predominantly kinesthetic learners and that all children learn best in a multi sensory environment with a variety of activities and, particularly in the Junior school, tactile resources. Our lessons are shorter than many schools allowing movement often and a change of environment.

[A Gordon]

I've always believed in single sexed secondary education- both my kids go to a mixed primary school (as I did- same one in fact), my son will be going to the local boys grammar and please god, my daughter will do too (the girls' school, obviously). I went to a girls' secondary/grammar and then on to university and I have to say, it never crossed my mind for it to be any different. Just because I was at a girls' school didn't mean we never mixed with boys! So at uni, there was no huge shock to the system. It worked. No distractions in class-marvellous.

[Gregory]

I can't imagine being forced to go through school without girls around me. I was always a boy who got along more with girls than boys, from elementary school through grad school and beyond. The vast majority of my friends were girls-- today, my male friends are mostly the spouses of my female friends. The social aspect of schooling is so often left out when talking about education. I had always been an honors student, and now am in the US foreign service with a Master's and a Doctorate... but if I had been forced to be in school with only boys, I may have had a hard enough time that it would have seriously affected my studies.

[Martin Morris, Headmaster QEH Bristol Junior School]

Dear Sir,

From Martin Morris, Headmaster of QEH Junior School, Bristol

As Head of the only all boys’ school in Bristol I read with interest the article in your paper by Sarah Ebner yesterday in which she suggests that boys are falling behind at school.

I have taught in both co-educational and single sex settings, and whilst recognising there are advantages of having mixed classes, I have developed my thinking in recent years to believe that Sarah is correct when she states that teaching methods and assessments used in schools tend to favour girls.

Boys think and work in different ways to girls, they have different needs and often different aspirations. At a single sex school these can be directly catered for and developed. One of the major criticisms that can be levelled against current educational practices is the ‘one size fits all’ approach.

Take reading for example. Girls will often outperform boys of a similar age. Yet at my school the interest in reading and creative writing is very strong. I would argue that this is because, apart from the encouragement they get, the boys are not needing to compete against the girls (or seen to be competing by their peers).

[P]

As a boy at a boys' public school, I think that single-sex education is far better. We learn much more, can relax, develop socially at a less hurried pace and have no stereotyped role to which to conform; yet we learn to have greater self-reliance due to limited feminine influences. Contrary to a popular believe that we are somehow very violent institutions, it is true that we have play fights and aren't forced into some sort of unnatural liberally tree-hugging gentle-natured perfection, but actually grow more civilised ultimately due to being a closer-knit community.

[Indraj Ghuman]

The things I like being in a boys school:
I think that boys have a better interaction between each other and can speak more freely to one another in a boy’s school.
Also for subjects like drama you can do things in a boy’s school that you would feel embarrassed doing in front of girls. Girls can be quite critical and their comments can be very hurtful.

[Tom Bater]

The things i like about being in an all boys school; I like the way that you can talk about issues that may be sensetive without being judged by girls or made to feel inferior. Boys are much more comfortable about what they say without girls around even if it’s quite emmbarresing.
If you do drama in a mixed school and you have to improvise usually you end up making a fool of your self, so when girls are watching boys improvise they can make harsh comments about what you do.
We aren’t monks though and we are given lots of opportunities to mingle with girls such as discos, and joint ventures with local girls schools.

[Penny Gillander-Dame]

Boys need more visual education i agree and to keep their education confined to just boys while girl's achieve a higher education puts men back to the cavemen era...how selfish...there are men who can isolate themselves from the destraction of women thank god otherwise we would not have world leaders nor the probably not the scandal either as they relax in their roles and enjoy their achievements with the so called several "scandalous graces of women that preferred not to pursue scholastic education" but i don't wish to see cro-magnum men nor ill educated ones...what a bad relationship for all sexes not to be able to share higher education between a couple both male and female to bond as spouses, friends or mates....what a waste....maybe during the most impressive years of a man's life which is the younger years this might be a great thing for a solid foundation but not later in the teen years and young adult....when life is meant to live or be near a woman.....when you fool with the nature of god or freud's sorry theories...your really creating a mess.....Catholic school was a nightmare...separated boys and girls but the goals of the football team didn't change to screw every girl in the girl's catholic dorm just because they were separated class rooms and buildings...it just made it more of a goal...and then unisex young adult high school was no different just more of a hidden agenda.....the male is a predator...if you are going to stop that by seperation you increase the predator's ability and strength to prey on women...why don't you just lock everyone up in a separate world of sexes....then we'd decrease the population, global warming and the stress of the economy as well by not producing....

What crazy literary idealist suggested this for social debate and stimulation? Catholics have always been the experiment for the fat egos of psychology....what you mean someone else is an experiment except the Catholic, Jews and Blacks this time? Men? What has the world come to now?

[starling]

"A decade or two ago it was boys who surpassed girls in education."

Not true, Joe. When I went to school 30 years ago boys were already lagging behind. That's why they introduced 2-year "bridge classes" in Holland, so boys could catch up and go to the right level school. When they had 1 year "bridge classes" it happened far too often that boys caught up later and ended up in classes that were too low-level for them.

[Wendy V]

I was talking last night to someone who told me he'd been educated at an all-boys school and wouldn't wish it on his own sons, mainly because it had meant he looked on women as alien - and purely as sex objects - for a long time afterwards. It took him years to develop normal relationships with women.

[Jos Costello]

Starling,

I'm Dutch, went through secondary education some 20-odd years ago and yes, we had the 2-year 'bridge class' system. I do think it allows boys (developing later) to catch up in terms of clarifying their potential.
I am not however in favour of single sex education. Single sec classes in certain subjects - probably a good idea. More male teachers in primary - yes, absolutely (at my primary school, back when dinosaurs walked the earth i.e in the 70s, the ratio was pretty much 50:50 in terms of teacher gender). But let's face it, the real world is not single sex and we need to prepare children for the real world. Let's have a flexible education system that values teachers properly (which should attract men into teaching from primary level), allows disruptive pupils of either sex to be dealt with properly so that those who are motivated can learn, is not shackled by targets and inspections and league tables, and take it from there. Many other countries in Europe do better than the UK and do not have single sex education. Let's look at what they are doing right to engage boys and learn lessons from them.

[Will]

Does it really matter that girls do better than boys at school? With the huge expansion in university places, the earnings premium on degrees is bound to disappear if not lead to negative private and social returns.

[Marco]

most important is choice: children should be educated according to ability; not sex, social class, race or any other such.

[roy williams]

as a former teacher of a mixed school (high) where possible boys were taught in an all male classroom,&girls vice versa. But after classroom teaching boys & girls mixed well together - and this I feel should be encouraged. I do not think that with th e onset of puberty teachers should not have to battle with sex and teaching. Ask a boy in Grade 5 to fetch & set up a projector he will do so perfectly - ask the same boy at 14 and he will put the film in upside down and 'play' to the female audience.
and teaching

[Elliott]

Having Attended both a mixed private school and a a private all boy's school i would say that in my experience i found that the mix school environmentwas one which i did not do well in. The reason's for this were pretty simple, the boys spent all of the class trying to show of to the girls my self included and when it came time for homework having not listened to a thing the teacher has said for an hour i obviously had no idea what to do. I am sure that this was not just an occurance at my school, i am sure also that many women have found this exact same thing when they attened school. I think the other main reason for this is basically that girls in my humble opinion tend to mature more quickly than men and due to this they realise at an earlier age that they have to work hard and in the main do so hence getting better grades. I dont think that anyone is is anyway trying to discredit the fact that women on the whole are getting thier just deserts from having worked hard in the class room but i do think that an all boys education helped me to one grow up and two be less distracted as if it were not me being the class clown there were many others willing to step up and take the job from me. I didnt go to a state school so i cannot comment on how things are done there and i do no know what the implications in todays society of having seperate classrooms would be however i have been all for it back in the day

[Gill S]

Of course teenagers are more comfortable with being themselves in a single sex environment. And I imagine the reason many students at single sex schools get better results than those of their gender in co-ed schools is that their pupils are not 'distracted' by the opposite sex. But school is more than simply a route to exam certificates. I am an only child, who grew up in a big country house miles from anywhere. I attended an all girls school until I was 13 and then switched to my nearest co-ed state school. The transition was not easy but was well worth it as I eventually became 'comfortable' mixing with boys of my own age before I got to University. My contemporaries from my girls school generally ended up either chasing anything in trousers or completely withdrawing into their shells. What use is having good exam results if you're pregnant before 20 or can't interact or communicate with half the human race? Students need to be prepared for life beyond school which, unless you join a religious order, will generally be co-ed!

[Gill S]

Of course teenagers are more comfortable with being themselves in a single sex environment. And I imagine the reason many students at single sex schools get better results than those of their gender in co-ed schools is that their pupils are not 'distracted' by the opposite sex. But school is more than simply a route to exam certificates. I am an only child, who grew up in a big country house miles from anywhere. I attended an all girls school until I was 13 and then switched to my nearest co-ed state school. The transition was not easy but was well worth it as I eventually became 'comfortable' mixing with boys of my own age before I got to University. My contemporaries from my girls school generally ended up either chasing anything in trousers or completely withdrawing into their shells. What use is having good exam results if you're pregnant before 20 or can't interact or communicate with half the human race? Students need to be prepared for life beyond school which, unless you join a religious order, will generally be co-ed!

[Bob]

Some of the books we read at school:

Tyke Tyler - Tyke is portrayed as a stereotypical male, but is revealed in the closing pages to be a girl.

Walkabout - Girl rescues little brother and aboriginal male from death in the outback.

Z for Zachariah - after a nuclear holocause the female survivor eventually finds a male scientist who ends up raping her.

During primary school we watched health and safety videos where articulate girls would stop their stupid male friends jumping off cliffs or whatever.

We played non-competitive sports in PE.

Our academic results were based on supposedly open questions where marks are awarded only by repeating the answer taught in class.

Boys may or may not be able to cope in mixed schools - but if the schools and the curriculum are designed around the needs of girls then they are not going to achieve very much.

i think boys need to go to co-ed schools because they will learn better with more types of sex around them, most boys in boys schools turn out gay because of the lack of participation in girls lives girls would also like that because it makes everything so exciting

[Dan]

There really is no need to "study" this issue; there's a need for a culture change, and it's not NECESSARILY single-gender schools; it is to recognize the long-running fallacy that children need schools for socialization. That is one of the major causes of societal ills today. We have kids who are getting the length-and-breadth of their socialization from each other, rather than learning from their elders. The purpose of school is education, not socialization. Remove that component from this discussion, and single-gender schools have fewer hurdles. Co-ed schools would, perhaps, return to their role of teaching. When parents pickup the responsibility of socializing their children, I think it'll matter less the makeup of the classroom.

[sigizmund]

It's very true that boys are different from girls - everyone can say that just looking at them, so it's very appealing idea indeed.

Although, think about one little thing: how will girls and boys learn to communicate effectively to boys and girls if all they see around - is their same-sex mates? People are moaning that Brits may be clumsy when it comes to intersex communication - doesn't this ring a bell?

In addition, I studied in a mixed school and honestly believe it'd be so boring to study without girls at all :)

[Nigel]

Boys aren't doing well at schools?
Something to do with the chronic lack of male teachers perhaps?

[John Davies]

Women educators prefer girls. Boys are not the problem, sexist educators are.

[Laura]

I have almost 11 yr old girl/boy twins and can see on a like for like basis what the differences are. Until a year ago it surprised me that at parents evenings, girls and boys were judged the same way. You only have to look around you to know that they have distinct differences in attention span, interests, communication techniques, drive - from birth to the grave.

My children are privately educated and enjoy different teachers for different subjects. As of last year my son has as many male as female teachers and his results have shot up. Interestingly his normal strong subject (math) has gone down because he doesn't like his female teacher "She belittles the boys", he says.
His previous weaker subject, English, has gone up with a male teacher who seems to understand what appeals to boys.

I don't know what the solution is. Even if there is one, no doubt financial constraints would mean it never happens. But being aware of the differences and judging accordingly would be a good step in the right direction.

[Simon Morris]

Boys disengage from education in mixed sex classes because the syllabus & methods are designed for girls. When girls fail to match boys in achievement the syllabus & methods are changed. When boys fail to match girls the boys are blamed. They can tell a no-win situation when they see one!!

[Jen]

I think once you've dealed with overcrowding, single sex or co-ed won't matter. We were five people in our history class, co-ed, but since we all got personalized attention, it didn't matter that our strengths and weaknesses weren't identical.

I do have a male friend who went to an in-city Catholic all boys' school all his life, and now in his mid-20s he still absolutely can NOT relate to girls. (And no the boys' school has not turned him gay). I'm not saying it happens to everyone, but it does cripple your social skills somewhat.

I think in the long run, being a well-balanced person makes one more happy than having gotten A* instead of an A in Maths GCSE.

[John Ledbury]

Bob's comment above is very perceptive. When I was at school (co-ed) boys did better than girls in all subjects except English. Then the system was deliberately revamped along feminist principles, both to encourage girls but lso to disadvantage boys. The obvious result was always going to be uneducated boys causing trouble.

[Floss]

A lot of my male friends attend all boys schools and they all say the same thing. There is far too much testosterone kicking about for them to learn anything.

I'm at an all girls school and we're in a collegiate sixth form with 3 mixed schools, 1 all girls school and 1 all girls school. One of my male friends attends the same lesson as I do and is flourishing in that environment when I'm a lot further behind than he is.

The one size fits all approach to education needs to go. Its a shame that we're taught exam technique instead of learning.

[Shaz]

I have read most of the messages and commented myself on the 'Do girls need all girl schools?' report and it seemed that most people were really against the idea of all girl schools. Even girls who have been/go to one like me were opposed to the idea. It seems to be different on this thread though. Boys from boys schools seem to agree with single sex education. It appears to me that all-boy schools seem to be wanted and needed more. The difference is interesting.

[Sara]

The idea of single-sex schools makes me shudder. We shouldn't be so quick to generalize. Though it may be true in the aggregate that boys (plural) differ from girls (plural) in some ways, it's wrong to think that such generalizations tell us anything useful about individuals.
We need more diverse approaches for all students, not more pigeonholing. I, for one, would have found single-sex schooling a horror - they would have sent me to the boys school. But people who aren't transgender shouldn't be put in little boxes, either. Just because you know one thing about a person doesn't mean that you know the most important thing.

[Joshua]

No, we don't need all boys' or all girls' schools. The most important thing we learn in school isn't necessarily algebra or history, but how to interact with others in socially acceptable ways. Nevertheless, as classes are generally taught today, boys are at a significant disadvantage

So how about a compromise? In classes where less student to student interaction is required, such as classes that would generally be classified as sciences, divide the classes by gender and develop a curriculum that is more likely to be suited for the differences in the ways boys and girls interact and learn. In classes where more interaction is required, such as arts or practical application classes, recombine the classes and use a curriculum that allows both sexes to play to their strengths.

[Simon]

It's not boys schools that are needed, but segregated teaching. The social aspects of boys and girls growing up together is equally and massively important.

[Felicity]

To John Davies

I currently teach at an all boys school and shock horror I'm female!!! Teachers aren't sexist, but parents are not willing to accept boys tend to misbehave more than girls purely because they are more boisterous by nature, especially when they are trying to impress the opposite sex.

I'm towards the end of my teaching career and have taught at many schools, single sex, mixed sex, grammar and private. I have found myself that behavior is far better at single sex schools, therefore students pay more attention in lessons and receive more help as teachers aren't spending the majority of their time dealing with unruly pupils. I've also found teenage pregnancy rates in all girls schools is far lower than mixed schools. In my current girls school in Sleaford in the ten years I have taught here we have experienced once student pregnancy, in my last mixed school there were at least two pregnancies a year.

[Joe L]

I moved around regularly as a child, moving to single-sex, mixed and finally back to single-sex schools. I genuinely found it so difficult to work in a mixed environment. I dont know whether it was because girls matured quicker, but there was a lot of pressure on the lads to show off for the girls who often travelled in groups and teased the less "hard" boys. It was actively encouraged to not try and achieve in lessons, I still remember my disbelief when I was told by one of the boys that you werent allowed to answer a question in class as otherwise you'd be practically disowned.

i eventually went to an all boys grammar school and it was so much easier to be myself and not worry about peoples perceptions but just strive to achieve instead. the connotations of all boys schools with being "gay" has been heard loads before but we just met up with the girls after school in town and it was far more relaxed than in a mixed environment.

i believe mixed schools can work, but on a personal level i far preferred the all boys environment

[john]

I had a boys-only selective secondary education and thanks to my school, did well. I am not sure I would have done anything like well in a differently constituted school, such as those where boys now seem to do rather badly. I wonder whose interests are served by their so doing. Hands up anyone?

[Cadie]

I attend an all women's university and for me there is a HUGE difference here! I agree with Joe L, it is a lot less distracting! I know I am a girl and this is about boys, but I think it goes either way. I do so well here because I don't have to try and impress boys and I feel like it would be the same at an all boys school. Children (as well as young adults) get distracted by the opposite sex and a single sex school does wonders!!

And in response to the mothers that are afraid of the social environment for their boys, what's to worry about? They are around other boys to make friends and just like your daughter would meet boys your sons will meet girls! My friendships are so much tighter and better here at my school and I am sure the same is true with an all male school.

[Amber]

I think that to be absolutely honest, this entire article and the entire question is sexist. It is proved almost beyond doubt that girls do better in single sex schools. The current agreement is that boys tend to do better generally in mixed sex schools. So we should educationally disadvantage half our population (girls) in order to provide the best education possible for boys?

When will someone point out the fact that girls have been discriminated against for almost the entirety of history, that it is only in the last fifty years they've been given an honest shot? And now that they excel, you have the typical middleclass brigade of mothers many of them still with a fifties mindset when it comes to ensuring their sons succeed, squalling against the system, claiming boys are discriminated against, when in fact the truth is- boys are generally more violent in play, they like to read less, and that there are innumerable factors why girls now succeed.

We need to get a grip on things, and realise that actually education is a pendulum. Start catering specifically to boys needs- and girls grades will drop.

But of course that's all right for Philip's mother, as long as *her* son isn't being done down by those hardworking and mature harridan girls

[Dusty]

I think when they say that it's a social 'disadvantage' to seperate boys from girls, they're not thinking correctly.

I myself spent two years at an all-girls school (Unfortunately the recession stopped me from going any longer) and the atmosphere is just so different to mixed schools.

Everybody understands each other hormonally, and I admit, we're girls so we get annoyed with each other a lot, but from the test results, you could clearly see the difference the single-sex schools make.

I don't think that boys would be particularly split from girls, and be 'awkward' in later life. What about the girls living on their street? Or in the town centre? Just because they go to a single sex school doesn't mean they're completely cut of from society.

I know from experience that single-sex state schools are almost impossible to come by in the UK, and that the Private single sex schools are ridiculously expensive. But if the government set up 'experiment schools' around the UK (Not private, just state schools that had been split temporarily) they could get a real look at what it would be like.

[ann]

The genetics model I feel will lead to many problems for society down the road. I feel the potential for great negative reaction could be something not considered by many professionals. While I may be wrong, the possibility of much social upheaval is very much something that needs to be “quietly addressed” by some group of very sharp professionals.

The Male Crisis is more complex than many think. The Male Crisis is increasing in many countries. Our society is now entering into a much greater need for information age skills that require a much different manner of upbringing for boys.

This is the reversal - In the nineteenth century, we lived in a very physical world and one that required much strength and courage for boys and later men. This created a form of treatment from a young age to create this strength.
1. Boys even less than a year old were (and are) given more aggressive treatment to make them tough to compete in the big physical world.
2. Boys were (and are) not given kind, stabilizing, nurturing, mental, emotional, social, verbal, interaction and other kind, caring treatment for fear of coddling the Male child, again to make them tough.
3. Boys were (and are) by design not given love, honor, respect unless they display some form of achievement, status, image, etc. All of this was designed to make boys tough.

Girls were (and are) given more protection from that big physical world, because it was very physical and bad back then. Since girls did not have to be tough, girls could be(and are) given much kind, stabilizing, mental, emotional, social, verbal, interaction from a young age without regard to need for strength. Also since girls did not need to be strong, they were (and are) given love honor, and respect simply for being girls. This protective treatment extended (and extends today) through adulthood.

Now we are living in the information age where the need and means to make a living have been "completely reversed". The toughness, aggressive, neglectful treatment given boys is still in place even from infancy. This is creating higher average stress that impedes thinking, learning, and motivation to learn (mental reward received for mental work expended). It also creates higher activity in working class Males, less stability there – activity is used as a natural stress relief. In addition, boys fall behind in writing due to higher muscle tension created by the high average stress that greatly affects handwriting ability and motivation to write. This is “not some natural, genetic weakness”. Note, nice Middle/Upper class boys do not have this problem of need for higher activity nor do they have the higher muscle tension that inhibits handwriting skills and motivation to write. The lack of kind, caring mental, emotional, social, verbal interaction create a tremendous lag in mental, emotional, social, and verbal skills. In addition, this creates more wariness of social contact due to lack of accumulated skills and more aggression given to boys from a young age. This defensiveness also creates the Male Ego or defensive front boys, later men put on to help protect them from aggression they have received. This further impedes positive social interaction with significant others (teachers).

Girls on the "other hand" are now reaping a windfall of many fine information age skills. The much protection and care girls receive from infancy onward create lower average stress, ease of nature (less need for activity for stress relief), and lower muscle tension that makes handwriting easier, more neat, and more rewarding. The much kind, positive, stabilizing, verbal and other social interaction increase their mental, emotional, social, verbal, and academic skills along with a feeling of love and support as they use that instilled social knowledge in a school setting with teachers. Since girls were (and are) given love, honor, respect, (no need to be tough) simply for being girls, they have an almost assurance of good treatment in society through adulthood. This protection also allows for much more freedom of expression to both vent, gain further support, and more care. This is why girls mature faster than boys. These differences have been socially created. Theory to all on request mayfieldga@bellsouth.net