YOUR report on single-sex schools (TES, February 4) highlights research findings from the USA. Many features of that report will be familiar to those who teach in maintained girls’ schools in the UK.
In single-sex schools, girls can practise their leadership skills without domination by noisy, over-confident, often immature boys. Lessons can be geared to a female perspective and the side-lining of girls which can occur in a mixed cassroom does not occur. Girls can show an interest in the “male” subjects of mathematics, science and resistant materials technology without sexist remarks.
There are still major inequalities in society and in our own profession and girls’ schools have a role to play in redressing this.
Elspeth V Insch, President, Association of Maintained Girls’ Schools, King Edward VI Handsworth school, Rose Hill Road, Handsworth
