From The Principal

The Girls School Advantage – why girls’ schools are best for girls

When interviewing prospective students and their families, one of the questions that I am most commonly asked is what difference I notice between girls in a girls’ school and girls in a co-educational environment (for those who don’t know, I was previously Principal of a well-respected co-educational school in regional Victoria). Aside from the well documented academic and social advantages (some of which I detail later in this article), it can be hard to articulate, however it is probably best summed up in the way that an MLC School girl holds herself and is willing to respectfully speak up about matters that matter.

I was pleased then, to come across an article by Shona Hendley. She was educated and did her early teaching in a coeducational school but then accepted a role at a girls school and her article “I thought co-ed was best all my life. Then I started working in an all-girls school.” beautifully expresses what I have also observed:

“There is a definite sense of self confidence and self-assurance clearly visible within the majority of students where I work. From the way they carry themselves, their manner and the effort they exude in and outside the classroom.

The worry over image or how they are perceived by others seems to be less concerning here than I remember from my own co-educational experience as a student and as a teacher in a co-ed secondary school.”

The value of girls’ schools is well documented and researched, and the data provides a much more academically rigorous lens than the observations that Shona and I share. As well as this idea of self-confidence, The Alliance of Girls Schools lists five key benefits of single sex girls’ schools, including:

Girls feeling empowered to defy gender stereotypes.
“Austrian researchers have found that ‘in more female environments, girls are less restrained by gender stereotypes and are more likely to consider traditional male school types and careers’.” Schneeweis & Zweimüller, 2012

Girls’ schools build self-esteem and enhance wellbeing.
“Girls in co-ed schools feel more pressure to be thin than girls in single-sex schools because the presence of boys in schools ‘may inflate appearance concerns and lower self-esteem’ among girls. On the other hand, single-sex schools encourage ‘improved self-esteem’ and ‘psychological and social well-being in adolescent girls’.” Cribb & Haase, 2016

Girls’ schools tailor teaching to girls and provide an aspirational environment.
“Girls at girls’ schools have ‘higher aspirations’, ‘greater motivation’ and are ‘challenged to achieve more than their female peers’ at co-educational independent and public schools.” Holmgren, 2014

Single-sex schools create a culture of strong academic achievement, particularly for girls.
“Girls in single-sex schools perform better academically than their counterparts in co-educational schools, after holding constant measures of selection, background, peers and school factors.” Cabezas, 2010

Girls’ schools buck the trend in STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths).
“A 2017 report by Monash University found that girls at single-sex schools were more likely than girls in co-ed schools to study chemistry, physics, intermediate-level mathematics and advanced-level mathematics.” Forgasz & Leder, 2017
Source:https://www.mamamia.com.au/is-single-sex-education-best/

Should you wish to learn more, The Alliance of Girls Schools website is a fabulous resource and includes links to much of the research noted above and many more peer reviewed research articles about this important topic, the website can be accessed here. 

– Lisa Moloney
Principal

The MLC School website has a series of wonderful stories about the achievements of some of our alumnae and their part in the fight for women to be recognised as equals in every regard. Click here to read.

Economic Security for Women
International Women’s Day 2022
Gender Equality Timeline

Sources Thanks to our Archivist Barbara Hoffman for the detailed research and wonderful stories that she has shared on our website.