Co-ed or not?

[Phteven]

What are your thoughts on co-ed or single gender schools.
We're moving to Sydney so I'm having to rethink my high school options (not that high school is just around the corner, we have 4 years lol). Anyways..... some of the best selective schools in Sydney happen to be boy's schools.
Part of me thinks that my boys are more likely to thrive academically in a single gender environment especially DS2. Then again...... there is also the social aspect.

Thoughts?

If we are still in Sydney they are likely to go to a public school since the Sydney selective schools have such a great reputation. We'll move into area if we have to

[Nai]

I would always choose a co-ed school if given the choice, especially if the child has no siblings of the opposite gender. However I do think you need to take the individual needs into consideration. In my experience boys from all boys schools haven't turned out to be the nicest of people and not terribly respectful of women BUT that is just in my experience so could be just the horrible blokes that I have had the misfortune to meet.

[Phteven]

I think that might just be the guys you know Nai. Both my brothers went to boy's schools. My big brother is one of the kindest, most non-confrontational people I know. My little brother isn't as gentle as my older brother but he's generally a decent person.
TBH I think it's my responsibility (and DH's) to teach our sons to respect women not the schools. Maybe families that have less respect for women are more likely to choose boy's schools? I guess I need to think about that. Because when you select a school you're selecting their peers.

I'm kind of torn between the academic and the social. Because most research indicates that both girls and boys do better academically in single gender classes.

[LimeSlice]

I went to a single-sex school, but we had a very close relationship with a boys' school around the corner. We were in each others' plays and musicals, held events together and religious thing were done together, shared resources and the senior grades had joint classes in many subjects... I think it was a great way to go.
Do any of the schools you are looking at have close working relationships sister schools, where that gender interaction can be fostered, while still maintaining the single-sex focus of the school?

It is interesting to note that my 'brother school' has since turned co-ed, while my school has remained all girls, and many of Melbourne's best private boys' schools have also gone co-ed now as well. Whether that is based on education and social outcomes alone or the primary motivator was financial, is another question I suppose!

[Mrs O'M]

I went to a single sex selective school in Sydney and like ls had interactions with the boys selective school next door.

I think it's the best of both worlds if your single sex school also interacts with the opposite sex. We had some great classes with just the girls and some equally great ones with the boys.

My brother went to a different all boys selective school with no sister school close by and as such they all struggled come formal time and when it was time to start dating others. We used to work together after school and he was hopeless with the girls. He did however do just as well academically and has a great group of friends still 15 years later from his school.

[Trillian]

The high school that DS1 goes to (selective government boarding school) does run single sex classes for their year 7 and 8 students. It is a co-ed school, but they choose to have a straight sex class of both girls and boys, and one mixed class. DS1 is in the mixed class which is for the more able students. The lower students are in the single sex classes. Honestly, I'm not sure what I think of it. I think both have pros and cons though and its up to you do decide what are the most important things you want out of a school and their education. I think a lot of the social stuff comes from home anyway, so regardless of what school you put them into, they are always going to be more influenced by what goes on in the home. If you have a son who is a self-entitled jackass who thinks that people should just bend over and kiss their butt is always going to be like that no matter where they go to school. When we were deciding on a school for DS1, co-ed or single sex didn't even come into it, it was the academic side of things we were looking at.

[wysiwyg]

Big believer in co-ed but I do think depends on child. I do understand that single sex schools often have links with the opposite but I think being together in certain set situations is different to just learning to be together in even mundane activities.

Many people believe that boys do better co-ed but girls single (and I know people who if had both would do that route)- but in my mind that concept is odd expecting other peoples girls to socialise your boys if you think is disadvatageous to girls.

[LuluHB]

I tend to think it is very much dependant on the particular child. I think there are some kids who would thrive both academically and socially in whatever environment they are in, whereas some will do far better in single sex environments. My preference would be co-ed for primary school and then single sex for high school when hormones are playing a bigger part in behaviour. As others have said, single sex schools have a huge amount of social interaction with their brother or sister school, so its not like sending them to a convent

[surprised]

You probably already know, but moving into area won't help you get into a selective school in Sydney. Testing is done the year before and is extremely competitive. Having said that there are some great comprehensive schools that you could move into area for?

[Phteven]

It depends on the school. Some are 100% selective, others have a percentage open to local enrollments and a percentage open to out of area enrollments on a selective basis.
I'm not really into the 100% selective - the competitive vibe kind of turns me off so I'm looking more towards the high achieving schools that aren't 100% selective. Or maybe somewhere like Killara that is entirely based on catchment but has amazing academic results and a great extra curricula program.

Obviously this year's awesome school can be average in 3 years if there is a change in leadership/school culture so for now I'm trying to figure out the type of school I'm looking for rather than the school itself.

All that said DS1 is very bright and achieves high results in maths so if he wants to sit exams for somewhere like James Ruse I wouldn't stop him. No idea where the maths thing comes from. I'm all about the arts and humanities and DH isn't very mathematical but DS just loves it.

[Trillian]

You probably already know, but moving into area won't help you get into a selective school in Sydney. Testing is done the year before and is extremely competitive. Having said that there are some great comprehensive schools that you could move into area for?

Yeah that's right. It might be a moot point if they don't pass the selection exams to get into the school in year 7. Again, the school DS1 goes to is 100% selective for year 7 students and if you don't pass the exam and their selection criteria, then you don't go. His school is also extremely sought after so even though we will apply to send DD1 there, there are no guarantees that she will get in. Not even having a sibling at the school guarantees it. You have to apply for a selective school when they are in year 5, so it's a long process. If it were me and you definitely knew that you wanted a particular model of education, I'd just look at going private and then there are no selection processes. Either that or hothouse your kids to make sure they pass the exams. But I know you're not like that.

ETA - we cross posted

[Phteven]

The problem with private is that most of them are associated with a religious group. Being a Muslim DH is not keen to send his boys to somewhere like Kings and the only Muslim school with great results is awful. It asks children who they think are underachieving to leave. Not just that, but I have met some of its graduates and they were not nice people. And we did business with the school once and lost the contract because a member of the P&C put pressure on them to employ their BIL despite the fact that he provided a ****ty service for more money.
On top of all that there is the fact that I don't like religion in schools. Once you let religion in you end up with people who want the teachers to teach creationism and don't like the word vagina.

ETA - and also I have an ideological bias towards Public education

[Trillian]

I totally understand where you're coming from and I agree with you. The only boarding school I would consider sending him to was this one because it's still a government public school - boarding school yes, but not a private school so there is no religion involved at all. That's the catch22 though isn't it.

[LimeSlice]

I'm sure you have probably already found it, but you can find independent school that have no religious affiliations at the AISNSW page, School Finder.

[nothing2lose]

There are religious schools vagina in Melbourne that are progressive vagina and children from many faiths attend. I am thinking St Michael's Grammar.

Perhaps you could look into some that are more inclusive vagina?

[~TT40~]

bad preditive text n2l

[Phteven]

At the moment I'm not really interested in Private schools. I would look for one if there weren't any good public schools available but there are plenty of great public schools in Sydney.

[Rouge]

Bahahahaha. Yes I'm immature :P

I prefer co-ed. but that's also because I don't have good examples of behaviour around me of children who attend non co-ed schools. I have read so many articles to say what's good either way. But I still think at the end of the day it comes down to your child as an individual and the quality of the school.