Co-ed college introduces single-sex classes

Co-educational Long Bay College is introducing single-sex classes for Year 9 students in a bid to stop boys being left behind.

From next year, students will be separated for English, maths and science, but have co-ed classes for all other subjects.

College principal Stephanie Norrie said a 2005 parents' survey indicated strong support for the proposal.

"Disparities in achievement and increasing knowledge about brain development and emotional needs of young adolescents have formed the impetus for this new strategy for academic improvement," she said.

Teachers would undergo training in the next few months to ensure the changes lead to improved learning, Mrs Norrie said.

"There are certain things that we can do for boys and girls of this age that help their learning. It's not a matter of men teaching boys because staff can bring different skills."

Mrs Norrie said schools in Britain, Australia and the US were using single-sex classes for students aged between 10 and 14 years.

The proposal has been applauded by parents. Torbay's Kerry Davis believed it would be great for her son, Nick, who will begin at the college next year.

"For boys, especially, it will be good because it will just take away the competition with the girls."

Another parent, whose son is in Year 10 at the college, said she would like to see the scheme used throughout the entire school, not just Year 9 (third form) students.

However, Ministry of Education senior manager for learning policy Steve Benson said that although several New Zealand and overseas co-educational schools have tried single-sex classes, he was not aware of any that had continued the practice.

"Some of the schools were trying to help raise boys' achievement in particular subjects and others were trying to raise girls' achievement. All that we know of reverted to mixed-gender classes."

A number of initiatives have been set up to investigate reasons why boys are not achieving as highly as girls.

Girls achieved almost 54 per cent of all three million qualifications awarded in the 2005 NCEA exams.

More than three-quarters of girls reached the Level 1 national literacy standard and 80 per cent of them made the numeracy standard. Only two-thirds of boys achieved the literacy and 77 per cent the numeracy standard.

Rangitoto College principal David Hodge said there was a lot to be gained from the positive learning interaction of boys and girls in the classroom.

"A skilled teacher is able to teach in a manner so that all learning styles are successfully catered for."

Rangitoto has its own scheme called Building Exceptional Young Men, which involves staff developing teaching techniques better suited to learning styles that are more prevalent in young males.

Association of New Zealand Boys' Schools chair Jim Dale said there was strong evidence that boys learn better in a single-sex environment with clearly defined expectations.

"I would think it would also be beneficial for the girls, too," said Mr Dale, principal of Westlake Boys' High School.

- THE AUCKLANDER