The Chronicle, Autumn 2018

22 ST EDWARD’S CHRONICLE

Boys on Co-Ed Pupils Toby MacLachlan , Wilhelm Beckers , William Parry , Euan English , Will Monks , Damola Otegbola , Matthew Lewis and Patrick Maxwell gave their views on being at a co-educational school. I would say that boys and girls are probably more conscious of their image in front of each other but it’s part of life so we may as well get used to it. Girls and boys contribute equally in class. I don’t feel one gender contributes more than the other. It’s real life. It’s important that we all get used to working alongside each other. I’d hate to turn up at university having been at an all boys’ school. It would be a shock. It can be a habit for girls and boys to sit together in groups but teachers often mix us up - which is good.

Co-educational environments can

I spend a large part of every year living in a country which sets the standard (according to the OECD) for gender equality. This is Iceland. I notice the difference. We have some way to go here in the UK. School has a fundamental role in helping to shape the attitudes of young men and women to each other in a way that is mutually beneficial, because to do so they have to learn about each other. Fergus Livingstone, HM, Cooper Lodge

facilitate more dynamic discussions. In English for example, responses to a text have the potential to be enriched with both male and female perspectives and reactions. This often results in more vigorous debate, humour (an important factor) and a greater understanding of the intellectual position of the opposite sex. In small group activities and Harkness–type discussions, girls and boys really benefit. Our collaborative teaching ethos here means that both sexes get a chance to contribute, listen to, think about and respond to the thinking of their peers. Milly Pumfrey, Head of Shells

William Parsons and Milly Pumfrey at the Shell Reading Challenge

Co-education offers genuinely collaborative working practices reflective of the world of work young people will enter. Matthew Albrighton, Deputy Head Academic

Will Monks