By Barbara Walshe

Do single sex educated pupils achieve higher academic results? Are children more distracted by the opposite sex at mixed schools, or better equipped for the working world? The arguments for and against both types of education are ongoing.

In an exhaustive 2006 review for the Headmasters' and Headmistress' Conference, an organisation that represents the head teachers of some 250 leading independent schools in Britain, Alan Smithers, the respected professor of education at Buckingham University, dismissed the argument that single sex schools were superior to mixed schools academically.

And yet the debate continues. The crux of this is that girls do better academically in single sex schools while boys do better in co-education. A 2002 study by the National Foundation for Educational research backed this up, saying girls in single-sex comprehensives achieved better results than girls in mixed schools. Further research this year by London's Institute of Education (IoE) strengthened the argument, suggesting single sex education has a negative social impact for boys and a positive academic impact for girls.

Dr John Newton, headmaster at Taunton co-education school, counters this argument, saying: "It is a national phenomenon that girls are outperforming boys in A levels and GCSEs. So it simply cannot be that girls are being held back in mixed schools if this is the case." But if both types of schooling are academically equal, then what benefits do single sex and mixed education bring?

Single sex

Claire Oulton has been headmistress of Benenden girls' school for the past seven years and insists she is pro good education whether that's at a single sex or mixed school. "There are great co-ed schools and great single sex schools and there are mediocre ones in both categories. What really matters is that children go to a fantastic school."

Saying that, Oulton believes strongly that girls benefit more from going to a great single sex school, largely because of the fun and friendships she sees amongst her pupils.

"If you're a teenage girl growing up, what matters to you most? Of course boys really matter, but actually having a giggle with your girlfriends is just the best fun. And you get more of that in a girl's school. There's also less of an agenda about this boy or that boy, so it's a bit more straightforward. Hence, the opportunity for more fun."

This fun extends to academic success and personal development, according to Oulton, whose two daughters attend the school. "If you really have a great time and enjoy school, you'll do well academically, you'll be more confident about having a go, trying maths or taking up design science, and so I think it boils down to those female friendships."

But what about the social consequences of attending a girls-only school? How do they cope with male interaction and the outside world? "The girls have lots of opportunities to meet boys. Most have friends who are boys, brothers and a whole social network going on out there. We also have a very active weekend programme and a lot of that involves doing various things with boys schools.

"Benenden's drop-out rate in university is nil. So, we don't seem to have these funny frail little wall flowers emerging at university. They arrive there and are a force to be reckoned with!" Claire Oulton, headmistress.

"Probably the most telling point is that Benenden's drop-out rate in university is nil. So, we don't seem to have these funny frail little wall flowers emerging at university and being overwhelmed. They arrive at university and they are a force to be reckoned with! They are articulate young women who know how to have fun."

Ultimately, Oulton's vision for her pupils is: "If they emerge from this school with confidence, courage and compassion, then they're ready for the world. That is what's going to prepare them most of all for life."

Mixed education

Huge change has taken place in the area of co-education over the past 15-20 years. Faced with dwindling student figures in the 1990s, boys' schools began turning co-educational.

"This happened in the 90s because of economic necessity," says Dr Newton, headmaster at Taunton since 2004. "Taunton did this in the 1970s not because of finances but because it was educationally right."

Essentially, Newton believes that co-education is preparing pupils for the outside world. "If you look at co-ed schools philosophically, in terms of your vision for the world and what you want your children to contribute to it, you've got to make sure they have the right tools and are properly equipped for that. And co-education does that better.

"Girls are learning to compete with boys and boys, who are a little late to the game, are learning to compete with girls. Co-operation and competition is something we have to educate them about. At Taunton, they're also taught to work in teams together, teams of boys and girls, led by boys and girls. And that is the way the world is going."

Are girls at a disadvantage in terms of academic and social focus? "It is true that girls do humanise boys in mixed schools. I think they make boys think twice and you then have to be careful of girls becoming laddish in their own way," he admits.

"But girls also benefit hugely from a mixed environment, learning to be tougher and stronger in their own minds. I think it becomes more competitive and more ambitious now that they know the nature of the boy. And that's got to be good for the world generally."

"Girls are learning to compete with boys and boys are learning to compete with girls. Co-operation and competition is something we have to educate them about." Dr John Newton, headmaster, Taunton co-educational school.

Addressing the issue of fun, he draws an example from his own family. "My two daughters say they would miss out on the fun and the extra dimension of having boys around if they went to a single sex school. Similarly, I see my 13-year-old son with an extraordinarily better developed capacity to make friends with girls than I had at that age (Newton went to a single-sex school).

"For me, I want my two girls to be out there working with boys, understanding them, and competing with them, and the same for my boys interacting with girls. There's no doubt that co-education has given both sexes in my family extraordinary confidence to build relationships, co-operate and work with the opposite sex."

Although the argument for and against both types of education will, no doubt, continue, as long as demand in the market is there, both options will co-exist. Whether it's the fun element of school or the focus on preparing children for the outside world, the bottom line remains - boys, girls, and parents still want the choice.

Coutts & Co is sponsoring the Independent Schools Show to be held at Battersea Park on 2 ^nd and 3 ^rd November. The event brings together over 70 of the UK's leading independent preparatory and senior schools with an opportunity for parents to investigate and compare options, attend seminars to assist in the decision making process and learn about the financial side of private education, including bursaries, scholarships and awards.

For more information visit www.schoolsshow.co.uk