An extended review into the advantages and disadvantages of co-educational and single-gender schooling

Abstract

Up until the mid-nineteenth century, it was only boys who attended formal schooling. Schooling gradually started to be made available to girls through the creation of women’s schools which took place during the summer months. While many consider the concept of co-education to be relatively new one, in effect, this concept has appeared several times throughout history. Indeed, some of the earliest representations of co-education can be traced back to Ancient Greece, where Spartan children were trained and taught academic skills in a multi-gendered setting. Locally, co-education has been practised for several years with many Independent schools using a mixed-gender system. In the state sector, while primary schools have been co-educational for a number of years, secondary schools first become mixed in the soft introduction at St. Clare College in 2013 (other than the National Sport School which went coeducational when it opened). In recent years, church schools have started considering a mixed-gender approach with five mixed primary schools as of 2017. However, none of the 17 secondary church schools are co-educational. This contrasts with the foreign view towards education, where many schools across a number of countries and age groups make use of a co-educational approach for teaching. The present study aims to explore and understand the available local and foreign literature to better understand what impacts educational attainment in both co-educational schools and single-gender schools. In conclusion, it also aims to understand the advantages and disadvantages which are present in co-education contexts with respect to the holistic development of children.