Co-education
From its beginnings in 1958, St John’s Grammar has been a co-educational school. We believe that the education of boys and girls together is the most natural setting for learning.
The myth persists that both boys and girls achieve more academically without the “distraction” of the opposite sex. The research is, however, ambivalent. It is extremely difficult to prove the success of a group of students is principally due to their separation from the opposite sex. In fact, considerable research shows it is teacher quality, socio-economic status and the intelligence of individual children that are the major determinants of student success.
It is a fundamental principle of our School that our students experience academic, sporting and social activities in a co-educational environment, so preparing them for the increasingly complex, fast moving adult world.
Co-education is “natural” - separating the sexes for educational purposes is artificial. This artificiality grew out of the tradition of a number of English schools, many of which were boarding schools in origin. Interestingly, a significant number of those schools have “gone co-ed” in recent decades. Our concern is that the myth persists that girls, and to a lesser extent boys, achieve at a higher level academically without the “distraction” of the opposite of sex. Unfortunately, research on this matter is ambivalent and unclear because it is extremely hard to measure the success of a particular control group in both the co-educational environment, and a single sex environment.
In research there is a consistent message when comparing mixed and single sex schools. This research shows that the vast majority of students and teachers perceive a co-educational school environment as more pleasant and socially relaxed. Researchers Payne and Newton (1990) comment on the vast body of research in which students are generally reported as favouring co-educational schools, and cite several surveys where co-educational students are more likely to comment on the pleasant social climate, or atmosphere, of their schools. Other researchers, Kenaway and Willis (1986), argue that there is a danger that single sex schools may reinforce traditional gender attitudes because of a student’s segregated schooling.
Individual Needs
The primary concern of St John’s Grammar School is for the individual care and progress of each student. Fortunately, in a co-educational environment, the curriculum offerings provide broader opportunities for both girls and boys. For example, whereas some schools may not have Food Technology facilities, or Design & Technologies workshops, St John’s Grammar offers both of these, and children may select courses according to their interest in non-traditional areas.
The basis for offering as wide a curriculum as possible is that this has been shown to improve self-esteem, and a love of learning. It is also for this reason that St John’s Grammar offers a range of electives from Year 8. Vertical classes are used in the Arts in some instances to provide even greater offerings for students in Years 8, 9 and 10.
As students develop physically, and change emotionally, it is quite common to observe that boys may not succeed at the same rate as girls in the upper primary and lower secondary years. The reasons for this are complex, and require much research. A number of initiatives are being undertaken to examine why some boys are disinclined in their schoolwork in those years. While boys may go “off the boil” during those years, it follows that more girls than boys may well receive the accolades and rewards from their teachers.
In the later years of secondary schooling, any imbalance is soon corrected, and again with all other factors being equal in a co-educational environment, and with the appropriate motivation from staff, any difference in academic progress according to the gender of students diminishes. Participation by girls in the Sciences and Mathematics may be slightly lower in number than boys, but the evidence is that girls who select these subjects succeed just as highly as boys and frequently better than boys.
Socialisation
It is a fundamental principle of St John’s Grammar that our students experience every activity in a co-educational environment. It is important that this is the case, as after all, an aim of all schools is to prepare young people for the adult world. In a co-educational environment, each gender develops an understanding and tolerance of the other. School socials and formals are all part of the celebration of the difference between sexes, and assist in the emotional development of students in a controlled context.
Outdoor education is a wonderful environment where girls and boys participate “on a level playing field”. It is often in this rather specialised co-educational environment that girls and boys discover, and observe, surprising qualities of teamwork, leadership, and resilience in members of the opposite sex.
Dramatic productions, class plays, and musicals, are all managed in the natural environment of co-education. Role-play and improvisation is so much easier in Drama, and in choral work in particular, greater musical challenges are possible for boys and girls in a mixed environment.
Leadership
In a co-educational school we offer leadership opportunities for both girls and boys, and it is usual for co-captains to be a boy and girl. This reinforces a message to the whole school community about the equality of the sexes. Within staff appointments, it is the endeavour of management to see that there is equality of opportunity in staff appointments to positions of authority in the administration of a department, of a House, or a sport.
