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There is a lot of change in adolescents , particularly at that age , but they need to evolve in an environment that reflects society .
‘ Parents ’ preferences ’
More single-sex high schools going co-ed
By Erin Nixon
Several Sydney high schools will transition to co-education after community consultation showed strong support for migrating schools away from single-sex education .
Randwick Boys and Randwick Girls High School will combine to form a co-ed high school for years 7-12 .
The two eastern suburbs schools are co-located on adjoining sites but currently operate separately . Upgrading and combining the campuses will cost the government $ 42m .
The interim name for the school is Randwick High School ; a consultation process with the school community will determine the final name for the institution .
Penshurst Girls and Hurstville Boys will each become separate co-ed schools from 2025 .
Deputy Premier and Minister for Education Prue Car said that the move to co-education reflects most parents ’ preferences in the community .
Community consultation showed that three-quarters of parents in Randwick and Georges River primary schools said they would prefer to send their kids to a co-ed school .
“ The investment in the sites will provide all students with the best possible learning environment ,” Car said .
The co-educational schools will continue to provide opportunities for single-sex focussed classes and activities , a government representative said .
Single-sex schools have dropped in popularity recently as parents weigh up the advantages of mixed-gender education .
The chief of Catholic Schools NSW , Dallas McInerney , said he would like to see single-sex schools remain an option .
“ Just as we believe in parental choice between sectors , it also extends to the type of school , be it co-ed or single-sex , because different children are better suited to different environments ,” he said .
SINGLE-SEX EDUCATION AND NAPLAN The debate over single-sex versus co-education often rears its head following the public release of national standardised test results like NAPLAN .
Single-sex classes performed better in NAPLAN tests than their co-ed peers , a Catholic Schools NSW analysis of 2019-2022 data found .
The data showed that reading and numeracy results were higher in single-sex schools , with boys numeracy results averaging 11 to 12 points higher .
However , the analysis acknowledged that students in single-sex schools generally come from more advantaged backgrounds , which could influence academic performance more than the sex of the cohort .
Flinders University researcher Dr Katherine Dix found single-sex schools offer no added value in academic results over time when compared with co-ed schools , although her analysis of NAPLAN data from 2010-2012 showed that boys-school students were a whole term ahead of students at all-girl schools in numeracy .
PARENTS PUSH FOR CO-EDUCATION The parents who prefer co-education say it ’ s because it offers their children an experience that ’ s more reflective of a post-school society .
“ The proportion of students in single-sex schools slightly declined from 7.2 per cent in 2018 to 7 per cent in 2022 ,” according to Dr Dix ’ s research .
The shift towards co-education can be attributed to the number of single-sex schools opening their doors to include students from the opposite sex .
Clayfield College in Brisbane ’ s inner-north suburbs had its first cohort of Year 7 male students walk through its doors in January this year .
Clayfield College has had a co-ed primary school since 1931 , but its high school only enrolled female students .
The school community welcomed the announcement in 2021 that Clayfield would open enrolments to male students past year 7 .
Principal Dr Andrew Cousins , who has a PhD in gender inclusivity , said that co-education offers students the opportunity to socially and academically engage with their peers as they would after finishing high school .
“ There is a lot of change in adolescents , particularly at that age , but they need to evolve in an environment that reflects society ,” Mr Cousins said .
“ Having these interactions is an important part of the education journey .”
The college ’ s move to become fully co-ed came after a survey revealed more than 40 per cent of parents asked for the transition .
In Queensland , there are currently 230 independent schools in 37 local government areas , yet only 23 are co-ed .
Currently , male and female students at the college are learning separately from years 7 to 9 , before entering a co-educational environment from years 10 to 12 .
Clayfield College will officially become fully co-educational in 2028 . ■
2 | educationreview . com . au