There is often a misconception that girls’ schools belong to another era, a relic of the past rather than a model for the future. But after many years working in education, including in co-educational settings, I would argue the opposite: girls-only education has never been more relevant.
The recent NFER findings on girls’ school attendance make for important reading because they challenge some long-held assumptions. The findings showed that 53% of key stage 4 white working-class girls eligible for free school meals were persistently absent from school. In particular, the report suggests there is not always a straightforward link between a child’s reported sense of belonging at school and their attendance levels. That may be true statistically, but I would argue it does not tell the whole story.
Attendance is rarely driven by one factor alone. Children do not arrive at school as isolated learners. They arrive carrying the weight of their wider experiences, circumstances and self-perception. For some young people, particularly adolescent girls, confidence, wellbeing and emotional security play a profound role in whether school feels manageable, positive and somewhere they want to be each day.
What the findings around white working-class girls perhaps point towards is the complexity of the challenges some young people are navigating today. Schools alone cannot address every barrier a child may face: financial pressure; family circumstances; or a limited sense of opportunity beyond their immediate environment, but schools can provide stability, encouragement and a culture of belief.
As a girls school, we see every day what happens when girls are educated in an environment designed around how they learn best. They speak up more readily. They challenge ideas more confidently. They participate fully. And that happens in all lessons and extra curricular activities, whether it be Physics, History, Sport, Computer Science, Debating or Drama.
Research and experience consistently show that girls often underestimate their abilities, particularly during adolescence. In co-educational environments, boys can often dominate classroom discussion or naturally put themselves forward for leadership opportunities, while girls quietly step back.
In a girls’ school, there is no stepping back. Every role is filled by a girl. Every leadership position belongs to a girl. Every sports team, science competition, production, debate and innovation project is led by girls. Over time, that changes not just outcomes, but mindset. Girls stop seeing confidence as something exceptional and begin to see it as entirely normal.
Girls’ schools are not about shielding students from the world. The best girls’ schools prepare young women to enter the wider world with resilience, self-belief and a strong sense of identity. Girls are growing up in an age of constant comparison, social pressure and online scrutiny. They are navigating complex messages about appearance, achievement and identity. In that context, schools have a responsibility to create spaces where girls feel psychologically safe enough to contribute, explore and, dare we say it, fail… without fear of judgement.
A girls-only environment allows that freedom. It allows girls to be sporty without apology, ambitious without qualification, intelligent without embarrassment and confident without being labelled bossy. It allows them to discover who they are before the wider world starts telling them who they should be.
Girls in single sex education are not trying to fit a mould. They are encouraged to think independently and embrace what makes them unique. Ideally, this is what all schools should be trying to do.
By Julie Keller, Head of Nottingham Girls’ High School.
About Nottingham Girls’ High School GDST
Nottingham Girls’ High School is a private day school for girls aged 3-18, located just north of the city centre on Arboretum Street. The school was founded on 14 September 1875 and forms part of the Girls’ Day School Trust.
Current attendance rate for Nottingham Girls’ High School statistics from the Girls’ Day School Trust – 93.17%
About The GDST
The Girls’ Day School Trust (GDST) is the UK’s leading family of 25 girls’ schools including 24 independent schools and two academies. The GDST reinvests all its income in its schools. Founded in 1872, the GDST has a long history of pioneering innovation in the education of girls. For a list of GDST schools go to www.gdst.net
Current attendance rate from the Girls’ Day School Trust average across all 25 schools – 93.76%.