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Weather p2 puff Weather p2 puff girls’, so modern science is reinforc- marketplace. Clifton High School, a Shining stars ing what teachers have noticed for former all-girls’ senior school in Crossword p2 puff Girls have a long time. Navigation ‘University – Bristol, looked longCrosswor and dhard p2 puff at how The classrooms where excelled in maths Why do schools go diamond? The it needed to change, visiting 20 and science at answer is largely pragmatic but it’s schools to examine different models Letters | social network | emails and life – is Letters | social network | emails The Grammar also laced with arguments about £ of schooling. School at Leeds what is best for children from a ped- co-educational’ “We concluded that the best was roger moody agogic viewpoint. ! what we call diamond-edge,” says diamonds are a girl’s – Schools merge and change often principal Dr Alison Neill. “We did it for financial reasons. In cases whereTr avel to have a distinctive offer.” Navigation a boys’ schools is joining with a girls’, Clifton High now teachesNavigation children staff are experts in single-sex teach- separately at the ages of 11 to 14 and boy’s – best friend ing, believing that it works well. (Years 7, 8 and 9) in certain subjects £ Parents also favour it for certain age – English, maths, physics, chemistry£ groups, and their views have to be and biology. The Year 7 boys and taken into account. girls also receive separate classes ! in foreign languages. For every-! thing else, the children are taught Travel co-educationally. Travel ‘We can really focus on The Royal School Haslemere also learning. The benefits teaches a variant of the diamond are massive’ model. Like Clifton High it used to take boys up to junior school. Now Lucy Hodges reports on the growing trend for UK independent schools it has become diamond, taking boys to offer both single-sex and co-education, separating children at key ‘It’s a single-sex right through but separating the education relevant to Michael Bond is vice principal of sexes out in Year 3, which is before points to take into account the speed at which each gender matures education at Berkhamsted School, most diamond schools introduce sin- the 21st century’ an 1,800-pupil school in Hertford- gle-sex education. shire with a diamond structure. Children are taught in single-sex upils at Dame Allan’s and have differing needs,” says Dame the sexes are educated together at “The diamond structure liberates Boys and girls are taught co-educa- classes up to the age of 16. “We are School in Newcastle Allan’s principal Dr John Hind. “Girls the beginning, when they are in prep these groups from negative peer tionally in the prep school and the in transition,” says the principal, cut a dash by wearing grow up faster. They mature earlier and pre-prep school, and at the end pressure,” says Kevin Carson, co-in- sixth form but separately between Anne Lynch. “In 2018 we will be mix- a red diamond-shaped than boys, and their learning styles when they have grown up and learnt terim head of The Grammar School the ages of 11 and 16. ing our sixth form.” badge on their blazers. are different.” how to socialise with one another. at Leeds. “I have worked in different Another school in transition is the PNo prizes for guessing why. They Antony Faccinello, warden of For- But in the middle boys and girls are kinds of schools and have seen the “A diamond school makes sense for Stephen Perse Foundation in Cam- attend a diamond school, one of a est School in East London, agrees. in separate classes for most – if not pressure to perform and the distrac- parents who have children of both bridge, which is adopting a dozen such independent schools in “Boys want to be less abstract and all – their lessons. tion that the opposite sex brings. sexes and want them educated in diamond-edge structure. From Year Britain which are educating boys to have things presented concretely,” The precise details vary but the What the diamond does is it gives the same institution but in a single- 9, girls and boys will be educated sep- and girls in the same institution but he says. “With the diamond we can basic idea of co-ed junior years, sin- boys and girls more chance to flour- sex way during puberty. arately in English, maths and science. giving them single-sex education really focus on learning and teach- gle-sex for senior school and a co-ed ish – and it’s more inclusive.” You get the best of both worlds. Pupils in Year 9 will also have sepa- during puberty. ing. The benefits are massive.” sixth form is the model. Like Brentwood, The Grammar Up to the age of 11, there are no rate lessons in the humanities and “The key thing is we believe boys Diamond schools are so-called be- There are two types of diamond School at Leeds has seen girls excel- reasons why boys and girls should foreign languages as well as in sport and girls grow up in different ways cause of the shape of their structures: school: the two-site and the single ling at sciences and maths. It also be educated separately. When and creative subjects. boasts three women heads of depart- puberty hits, there’s an educational “It puts us in a strong position in site. The former come about through Edinburgh awards. They are only ment in maths, biology and chemistry. argument for them to be in separate Cambridge,” says principal Tricia the merger of two schools in a town. separated for lessons.” Carson wonders if this is part of the classes. Girls mature younger and Kelleher. “What we’re offering is a Boys and girls are taught on separate Brentwood has noticed girls gain diamond effect. have different learning styles from single-sex education that is relevant sites from 11 to 16 and in the sixth real confidence in English and maths The 1600-pupil Stamford Endowed boys. Having boys around can be to the 21st century.” form move between the two. this way, and go on to study engi- Schools in Lincolnshire went dia- distracting just as being with girls The main drawback of the dia- The single-site model arises from neering and physics at university. “It mond for pedagogical reasons, can distract boys. mond structure is that it is often admitting the opposite gender into enables us to focus on what might according to the head of the boys’ Boys appreciate and respond to more costly to lay on classes for both single-sex schools. In these boys and be seen as weaknesses in the gen- section Will Phelan. “It was the de- clear, firm boundaries and don’t sexes than to educate co-education- Eagle girls are taught in separate classes ders, for example, girls are less sire to have a much cleaner and mind if you tell them they have ally. One school – Teesside High in the same building, but come to- spatially aware than boys and boys educationally sharper way of doing crossed the line. Girls don’t respond School – has ceased to be a diamond Weather p2 pufgetherf for lunch. need help with communication things. We’re the only boys and girls as well to that kind of approach. school in the last year. Small schools “It works well,” says Ian Davies, skills,” says Davies. school in our area. I really like the Once they are of sixth-form age in particular find it difficult to lay on Crossword p2 puffheadmaster of Brentwood, which These are not simply the opinions fact that children start at age three there are strong educational reasons separate classes in subjects such as began taking girls in 1988. “Pupils in of heads. Recent research into ado- and go through to the age of 18.” for girls and boys to come together: languages, which is why they con- the senior school get together for lescent brains shows that boys’ Some schools have an eye to po- after all, life is co-educational, as tinue to educate children co-ed in Letters | social network | emails music, drama, CCF and Duke of brains develop at a slower rate than sitioning themselves in a competitive is university.” these classes.

A London day school for boys Navigation ‘We have grown in confidence’ and girls aged 4-18 located within £ Beth Lovett, 17, is head It’s been great in the sixth Cli�on High School ! co-educa�onal nursery school to sixth form 6,000 acres of ancient woodland girl of Berkhamsted School form when all students come Travel in Hertfordshire, having together again. We have entered the prep school grown in confidence, and we in the City’s largest open space, eight years ago with her did sport, music and drama We provide the best of both twin brother Chris. together all along, so we worlds, single sex teaching when knew one another and get on Epping Forest. Forest School. “My parents chose Berkham- reasonably well. It’s impor- it is most beneficial, together with sted largely because it was tant for us to join together at opportunities to interact socially. a diamond school. They this age because you become wanted my brother and more comfortable being We call this the me to be educated equally, around boys – and boys Diamond Edge Model. with similar opportunities. with girls - which makes you They didn’t want us to be and school trips as well as ready for life and university. known as the twins and to be Duke of Edinburgh awards Chris and I are in different Find out more with our open events, tours and taster days. compared with one another. and the CCF. That allowed houses but take some of the Available throughout the year, please contact us for more information. In the prep school, girls us to flourish in our own same subjects. We both took were educated with boys but ways. Chris was always more economics and maths AS- www.forest.org.uk I was in a different class from academic than me. I was the level last year and are plan- [email protected] my brother. That worked sporty one. Many teachers ning to go to university – but realising individual brilliance 020 8520 1744 well. In the senior school didn’t know we were twins. not the same one, perhaps we were taught completely Being apart from 11 to 16 partly due to the confidence 0117 933 9087 | www.cliftonhigh.bristol.sch.uk separately from the boys enabled us to develop at our and individuality encouraged but came together for sport own rates. by the diamond structure.”