Why headteachers from Scotland's last all-boys and all-girls schools say single-sex education must be saved

The headteachers from two of Scotland’s last all-boys and all-girls schools have mounted a passionate defence of single-sex education, saying it is “critically important” to ensure parents continue to have the option for their children.

The remarks from the heads of Merchiston Castle and St George’s schools in Edinburgh come after it was announced earlier this month that Stewart’s Melville College and The Mary Erskine School will become a single, co-educational school called “Erskine Stewart Melville”.

The move, partly influenced by Labour’s decision to end the VAT exemption on private school fees, will leave Merchiston Castle as the only all-boys school in Scotland, while St George’s and St Margaret’s in Aberdeen will be the last girls-only schools.

In an exclusive interview with The Scotsman, Merchiston headmaster Jonathan Anderson said the decision had “opened a discussion about single-sex education in the city”, with parents “keeping their options open”.

Carol Chandler-Thompson, head of St George’s, meanwhile revealed that a number of former pupils at Kilgraston School in Perthshire, which closed earlier this year, had enrolled at her school, because for some families a single-sex education is “really the defining feature of what they want”.

Carol Chandler-Thompson, Head, St George's School, Edinburgh | Submitted

She added: “I know ESMS (Erskine Stewart's Melville Schools) have got their good reasons for doing so, and I fully respect those, but I feel a bit sad about diversity and choice being lost a little bit in the sector for parents really.

“Sometimes I think this debate can be framed as kind of co-ed versus single-sex but actually for me it’s actually more about parents having choice of what is right for their children, because even within one family, a family might choose co-education for one child and single-sex for another.

“I would hate for the sector to all look and feel the same, so for me it makes it even more important that we are offering what we are offering to families.”

It emerged this week that the ESMS merger has been met with a backlash from some pupils and parents, leading to the launch of petitions calling for a rethink.

Mr Anderson said parents were keeping an open mind about what they want for their children, in the wake of the Erskine Stewart Melville announcement, which does not come into place until 2026/27.

“Those who like the idea of single-sex education, given the announcement, are reappraising. That is not to say they are all moving ship, they are just keeping their options open and seeing what single-sex education at Merchiston and St George’s looks like,” he said.

Anthony Simpson, principal of Erskine Stewart Melville, said earlier this month that the merger of their schools would “create a more inclusive environment that reflects the modern world”.

However, Mr Anderson denied that single-sex education is a relic of the past.

“If you were to go to London you see the strength and vitality of single-sex schools and how that operates. I don’t think they are going anywhere any time soon,” he said.

“I think ultimately it is about parental choice. It’s about knowing your child, and knowing what is best for your child, and having that choice is critically important, because for many, single-sex education is the right way to go, and we see the benefits of it and we know many parents see the benefits for their children.”

Asked if they could envisage Merchiston or St George’s becoming co-educational in the coming years, Ms Chandler-Thompson said there was “certainly no intention” to go down that route, while Mr Anderson replied: “I wouldn’t say so.”

He added: “I think for any single-sex school it is something that is floated, and particularly for single-sex boarding schools. It has always been something that has been there or thereabouts on the agenda.

“But certainly from my point of view, I’m a strong believer in the benefits and the values of single-sex education, particularly in the senior phase.

“Those years from 11-plus, where boys and girls do develop at different rates and in different ways. That safe space is critically important for them as they enter that all-important phase of their lives.”

Mr Anderson is such a believer he sends his own daughter to St George’s.

Jonathan Anderson, headmaster at Merchiston Castle School, Edinburgh | Submitted

The headmaster argued that “fundamentally boys and girls do learn in different ways”.

He said: “Girls, without being too stereotypical, they tend to be a little bit more organised, they develop a bit quicker than boys. Boys tend to be a little bit more aesthetic in their learning as opposed to girls. Girls develop their linguistic skills faster than boys.

“So there are differences in the way in which boys and girls learn. That is number one.

“I think number two, as well, is that we live in a world of great social pressure. And one of the wonderful things that we can offer as single-sex schools is that safe space for boys and girls to develop socially, and develop their social interactions and social skills in a way that is away from the pressures that we are trying to navigate.”

Mrs Chandler-Thompson said: “I’ve been 27 years in girls-only education now, and the role modelling is incredibly powerful for them. So, children just absorb so much from what they see, more than what you say.

“So, if they can be in an environment where absolutely everybody who is a role model kind of looks and feels like them - you know, the person directing the play, the head student, they are all of the same sex - that is quite a powerful message for those students to say, ‘yes, this is something I can do’.

“There are no implicit messages they are absorbing there about boys’ subjects, girls’ subjects, roles and otherwise. It is all there for them. So I think that could be incredibly powerful, even for the very youngest student.

“Having been in three-to-18 schools all my career, you can see some of these really quieter characters really grow in confidence and self-knowledge as they go through the system and learning in that support from role models.”

She denied that any lack of contact with the opposite sex can leave students under-prepared for life after school.

“I can pretty confidently say I’ve never met a St George’s alumni who is shy in coming forward. I think it’s the absolute opposite - they are incredibly confident but in a very genuine way,” Mrs Chandler-Thompson said.

“And okay, so during the school day they are being educated in a single-sex environment, but I mean, for example the arrangement that St George’s and Merchiston have, there are lots of really good learning opportunities actually to work together. “

These arrangements between the two, separate schools include a Combined Cadet Force, invitations for Merchiston students to audition for plays at St George’s, and vice versa, as well as joint social events, such as ceilidhs.

“It is not like they are closeted away for 15 years,” Mrs Chandler-Thompson added.