Single Sex schools and Mixed Schools Free Essay Example

Which are better single sex schools or mixed schools? Both types of school, mixed and single sex, have negatives and positives. However, I know that mixed schools are much better because by being in a mixed school you are exposed to the other half of the world, different opinions, different ideas. Also mixed schools stop people of the opposite sex being awkward around each other, preparing you for when you grow up and enter the world of work.

Firstly, co-ed schools provide an environment for students to develop the social skills needed when they start work.

It allows them to understand how men and women interact with each other and not to feel awkward. By going to a single sex school you are not being properly exposed to a whole half of the world. These children are therefore growing up at a huge disadvantage which I know is not right for a child to have inflicted on them by their parents.

Secondly, boys and girls think in different ways and have contrasting opinions, even more so than a single sex does. Being at a school with a variety of different opinions on many things exposes children to more in life. Schools serve best when they teach every student as an individual; teaching students by groups of boys and girls is inacceptable. Students attending co-ed schools are much more likely to discuss ideas from their homework with opposite-sex friends and this interaction results in exposure to a greater diversity of views and opinions as they share ideas with classmates of both sexes.

Studies show that as boys are more likely to take risks they therefore have a positive impact on the girls in the class and this generally improves everyone’s learning.

It has been argued that students would receive better grade results in single-sex classes, among people that have similar learning styles, however, the focus of school should not just be on their grade but also needs to be on the overall development of a student and their life skills. When they leave university and get a job, it’s not going to be separated by gender. It is crucial for a student to be able to communicate comfortably with the opposite sex. Another advantage of going to a co-ed school is the variety of choices each student has. Subjects offered at a co-ed school are much broader, while girls have the choice of more male-dominant subjects and vice-versa for the boys. Having the opposite sex in your classroom will help you strive for a higher standard academically and be motivating for your self-image.

Finally, although there are also positives to single sex schools they are few and far between. One is that single sex schools get better results because of the way that they can tailor their teaching too. Sarah Thomas, head of Bryanston, a coeducational day and boarding school in Dorset. ‘You’re not going to be able to solve this conundrum simply by looking at statistics. ‘There are statistics, of course, and some of them show that single-sex schools get better exam results. But a third of single-sex schools are grammar schools, and 60 per cent of single-sex schools are in the independent sector. In other words, it’s complicated. Personally speaking, I’m about as convinced by that sort of statistical evidence as I am by the average toothpaste commercial.