We all want to give our daughters the best start in life and when it comes to education, the evidence is pretty clear – girls do better at single-sex schools.
Last year the number of A*/A grades achieved by A level students from girls’ schools was more than double the national average – 53% compared to 25%. Girls’ schools account for 13% of all entries to sit A level Maths yet achieve 25% of the A* grades nationally. Likewise, girls’ school candidates make up 12% of all A level French entries yet achieve 32% of the A* grades awarded.
The hard facts about academic success are compelling enough but a girls’ school education is about more than that, it’s about the creation of the self-belief and self-confidence that will ensure a girl thrives whatever she sets her mind to.
Girls’ schools create environments where girls feel empowered to be themselves. Students develop self-confidence and faith in their capacity to face challenges. They are not bound by traditional gender stereotypes and they truly believe that nothing is beyond their reach, and they have the resilience needed to evaluate, recover and bounce back when things don’t quite go their way.
As a Headmistress, I want my students to thrive, not just survive and today that means providing them with a tailored curriculum that offers learning without limits. Girls’ schools offer a vibrant holistic environment where girls are supported and guided to take risks, to challenge themselves, to be inspired by strong women and to become tomorrow’s leaders.
In a girls’ school it is not about equal opportunities, it’s about all opportunities. You don’t have to choose between being the dancer or the engineer or the football player – you really can be all three. Every girl can become a leader be it House Captain, Sports Captain or STEM Ambassador. Every girl can learn to shoulder responsibility and to lead and to inspire – qualities that will last her a lifetime.
Sceptics will tell you that life isn’t single-sex and so why should school be? The reality though is that girls and boys learn differently and it is the patterns and behaviours that are set in these formative years that will stay with a child for life. In a girls’ school the full focus is on learning and it’s cool to be clever. Why make your daughter conform to dated societal gender stereotypes when instead, you can set her free to aspire and be inspired?
