Schools profile Education
who encouraged members of the group to isolate others. But while it is a destructive behavioural pattern, George found that “the same cliques and dynamics played out in both mixed and single-sex settings.” Furthermore, all the heads agreed there
rather than to be overwhelmed by male culture at university or in the work place?” However, advocates of single sex girls’ education are quick to dismiss these claims. Helen Fraser, president of the Girls’ Day School Trust (GDST), refutes the stereotype that educating girls together breeds cattiness. “In any school there are groups and cliques and people who don’t get on with each other, but I actually think most girls’ schools have very strong pastoral systems and are incredibly aware of relationships.” Debbie Leonard, head teacher at Croydon
High School, Surrey, is amused by the idea that going to a girls’ school might lead to difficulty forming relationships with boys. “It’s single-sex education, not single-sex life. Tese girls have brothers, they have friends in neighbouring boys’ schools and they often do music and drama and other events with them, so they are not really
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leading a closeted existence.” She doesn’t deny that girls can be bitchy but says this is no more of a problem in girls’ schools than in mixed settings. “Tere is always a certain amount of unpleasantness at any school, whether it’s boys only, girls only, or mixed. Te difference with girls is that they don’t go around hitting each other. If there is any form of unpleasantry, it is usually verbal.” Rosalyn George, professor of Education
are less inclined to worry about their image and more inclined to speak their mind
sex school, girls a single At
are significant plus points for girls being educated in a single-sex environment. Without boys to impress, girls are less inclined to worry about their image and more inclined to speak their mind, says Helen Fraser. “It tends to extend their childhood for longer, which I think is a very powerful thing in an age when there are so many pressures on girls to be attractive, sophisticated and look good for the opposite sex. Tey are not thinking ‘does my bum look big in this?’, or that they are having a bad hair day. Tey
are just galloping about having fun.”
India Jankel, a Year 13 student at Wimbledon High School,
and Equality at Goldsmiths, University of London, recently completed a study of the relationships of girls aged between 10-14 and found that friendship groups tended to be dominated by a bright, socially skilled and often charismatic “leader”
a girls’ school in south-west London agrees. “If you are having a relaxed day, and you want to come in wearing a tracksuit and not worry about what you look like, that’s fine. Equally, if you are in the mood to dress up nicely, no one is going to have a go at you or think you are only doing it to impress guys.” For Helen Wright, president of the Girls’ School Assocation and headmistress at St Mary’s School, Calne, in Wiltshire, this is what girls’ schools are all about. “You
✏ Summer 2011 FirstEleven 23
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