Best way to prep for grammar school entry in Year 3

fred246

Manchester Grammar School already excludes 50% of the population ie females before it even starts getting selective with the boys. I really don't understand why parents would think sending children to a single sex school was a good idea. I don't like all this discrimination.

silvercar

fred246 said:

Manchester Grammar School already excludes 50% of the population ie females before it even starts getting selective with the boys. I really don't understand why parents would think sending children to a single sex school was a good idea. I don't like all this discrimination.

Clearly it works for a lot of parents. If everyone thought alike there would be no single sex schools.
Manchester Grammar school for girls is it's counterpart.

fred246

Girls lives matter.

Davesnave

fred246 said:

Girls lives matter.

My eldest daughter insisted on applying to the only non-denominational, mixed comprehensive in the area. Sadly, we were out of its catchment area.

Despite what one hears, the results at that school were slightly ahead of the single sex comps, but it was the unnatural segregation she'd been against from around the age of 5 or 6 which motivated her. That was when family illness forced me to take her to work for a day or two, when we visited a number of comps together. She was shocked to find most schools weren't mixed and declared she wouldn't go to an all girls school.

She won at appeal. We supported her on the day, but we let her draft her own submission to the board. I haven't a clue now what it said, but there was no doubting the sincerity of the content, especially as almost all her pals were going elsewhere. There was just one other 'awkward' child from her school, who also succeeded.

Both girls were happy with their choice and did extremely well. Other friends transferred to the school in the 6th form. That was a system which seemed to work for those who preferred their early teenage schooling away from the opposite sex; an equally valid choice. The point is, they had one.

Savvy_Sue

fred246 said:

Manchester Grammar School already excludes 50% of the population ie females before it even starts getting selective with the boys. I really don't understand why parents would think sending children to a single sex school was a good idea. I don't like all this discrimination.

Academically, girls do better in single sex schools, and boys do better in mixed. And, as already noted, some children wish to make that decision. 

I'm a product of single sex, selective education, but in 6th form we were able to mix with the boys. I think it did the boys a lot of good ... 

Davesnave

Savvy_Sue said:

fred246 said:

Manchester Grammar School already excludes 50% of the population ie females before it even starts getting selective with the boys. I really don't understand why parents would think sending children to a single sex school was a good idea. I don't like all this discrimination.

Academically, girls do better in single sex schools, and boys do better in mixed. And, as already noted, some children wish to make that decision. 
I'm a product of single sex, selective education, but in 6th form we were able to mix with the boys. I think it did the boys a lot of good ... 

Overall, the girls probably do achieve better, but there's more to school than academic results. By the time my DD was 11, she felt that the relationships between the girls would be better with boys around. I can't say if she was right or not, but over 20 years later many of her social circle are still in contact.

I know the merger with the adjacent girls' grammar school when I was in Year 11 vastly improved my own experience of secondary education.

Fireflyaway

My child goes to a single sex school and I think it's working well. There are fewer distractions. I don't mean just in the case of boys and girls admiring one another! Boys and girls learn differently. We looked at a private school that was mixed as in both sexes could apply, but children were separated by gender for lessons. My child's school has a good relationship with a local school providing for the opposite sex. They meet for debates, concerts etc so it's not as though they never mix with the opposite sex. My child knows plenty of kids in mixed schools and so many of them are so obsessed with what the other boys / girls think of their appearance and how popular they are. Who is 'fit' (actually I think they say 'peng' these days!!) who is dating who, jealousy between friends etc. It's nice to have that element removed from school. 

onwards&upwards

I find it very weird to keep the sexes apart at school.  Its so artificial.  Isn't learning how to relate to others an important part of growing up?  

fred246

How does a trans child know which school to go to?

Fireflyaway

onwards&upwards said:

I find it very weird to keep the sexes apart at school.  Its so artificial.  Isn't learning how to relate to others an important part of growing up?  

I do agree with the importance of getting on with everyone. However given the choice I would still select single sex education. Maybe not so much at primary or junior age but senior school I would. School is for learning, not impressing the opposite sex, worrying that boys / girls don't fancy you, fussing over your appearance, having to deal with rejection, unwanted attention etc. Boys do tend to show off more when girls are about and girls can get very funny with each other if they like the same boy. It's just an extra distraction. I'm not against kids mixing. My child hangs out with both genders outside of schools, at sports and when volunteering.