Single sex school choices becoming more limited as an increasing number of schools turn to co-education

ABC NEWS (Australia)

Picking the right school is a choice that weighs heavily on many parent's minds. For some it's a decision between single sex and co-education. That's despite a decline in the number of all-boys and all-girls schools.

Transcript

00:00From sport to the classroom, Villanova College has taught boys for more than 70 years.

00:07The principal says parents are drawn to schools that cater to their son's learning needs.

00:13Gender isn't attached to role models in a boys school.

00:16You're musicians, you're artists, you're academics, you're sports people.

00:21The school says boys are encouraged to respect women as leaders.

00:26Over 50% of our staff are female, over 50% of our leadership staff in terms of faculty.

00:32The female teachers here I think are incredible.

00:35Meanwhile, this Melbourne girl's school has no plans to become co-ed after 30 years of teaching.

00:41Having that daily role modelling of clever, capable women in positions of influence is really important.

00:49I do physics and chemistry and they're very male-dominated fields,

00:53so it's great to be able to study those at the school without having to worry about the gender gap.

00:58Barker College is one of many schools that has made the transition to co-ed.

01:03There was a lot of interest in a part of Sydney where there was perhaps not as many choices.

01:08He says the co-educational model educates students, not genders.

01:13We use the term here, together in learning, together in life, and that should start at the youngest age.

01:18There's no national database for the number of all-boys and all-girls schools,

01:23but it's estimated the number of single-sex schools across the country has dropped by 1% since 2008.

01:31There's no conclusive evidence that one type of schooling, single-sex or co-ed, yields better academic outcomes.

01:41Dr Kelly Burns says socio-economic status plays a more significant role in academic achievement.

01:47Independent schools who are considering going co-educational, I think they're responding to a changing market.

01:55The right answer is different for each student.

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