My school taught me that I’m just as valid as a man

[dropcap]R[/dropcap]ecently, head teacher at Brighton College, Richard Cairns, published a magazine article stating that single-sex schools were detrimental to social development.

Cairns said in his article, focusing particularly on single-sex girls’ schools, that girls will grow up unable to converse with boys which means they will struggle in the workplace. His article has generated a lot of debate about single-sex education.

Having attended an all-girls’ school for my entire secondary school education, from the age of 11 to 18, I felt his view that going to a single-sex school means girls will be disadvantaged and unable to communicate with male colleagues was simply untrue.

Girls will grow up unable to converse with boys which means they will struggle in the workplace.

Richard Cairns seemed to assume that girls who attend single-sex schools will never have the chance to interact with boys at all, which is just not the case.

Not only will girls in single-sex education have male family members and friends from outside school, but also many schools, such as my own, had links with other local all-boys’ schools.

Girls in single-sex education have male family members and friends from outside school.

We worked with them on a range of events, from charity fundraising to drama, and were certainly not intimidated or felt unable to converse with them. Despite spending 9 to 4 with students all the same gender as you, I can confirm the opposite sex is not a completely foreign concept to single-sex students.

Being in an all-girls’ school meant that no subjects were ever considered typically ‘male’ to us. Subjects like maths and science are more commonly perceived as something boys are more likely to study. But our school encouraged us to study what we were really passionate about whether that was arts, sciences or a combination.

Being in an all-girls’ school meant that no subjects were ever considered typically ‘male’ to us.

Through this encouragement, an all-girls’ school caused us to flourish, ignoring any gender roles that may have been enforced on us in co-ed. Being educated in an environment where I was constantly witnessing girls achieving brilliant things.

Whether the achievements were in academics, sport, music or drama, it let me grow up believing that despite any ideas of this being a ‘man’s world’ we have just as much capability to achieve whatever we want. If anything, the confidence instilled in myself from an all-girls’ education would make me even more apt in the workplace.

Despite any ideas of this being a ‘man’s world’ we have just as much capability to achieve whatever we want.

Despite Cairn’s claims, I have learnt not to be intimidated by men as my thoughts and ability just as valid as theirs.