New co-ed rejects National school policy

National's plans to increase the number of single-sex schools are "unhelpful and back to the future" according to one school which reversed 50 years of boys-only tradition to convert to a co-educational role.

Warren Peat, executive head at St Kentigern College in Auckland, said there were "smarter and more refined" ways of dealing with the growing gulf between boys' and girls' academic performance.

At the Pakuranga school, students are in separate classrooms for maths and English, but in mixed classes for drama, some languages and some technology subjects.

"We are seeking to provide the best learning model and this is something of a hybrid," Mr Peat said. "But the school-leavers' results are better than ever before and we are pretty excited by the outcomes we are beginning to see."

The Pakuranga college spent more than 50 years as a boys' school, before allowing girls to join two years ago. The first female intake will graduate this year.

The switch puts St Kentigern at odds with the National Party's proposed policy to increase the number of single-sex schools.

Education spokesman Bill English told the party's annual conference that single-sex schools were growing in popularity and almost all had long waiting lists.

The plan has re-ignited debate over the best environment for boys' and girls' schooling.

Mr Peat described St Kentigern's method as "parallel education". Students in years seven to 10 are generally separated by gender, but share some classes, while those in years 11 to 13 are mixed across the board.

"Girls' achievement is well represented in the statistics, but boys' achievement is lifting as well," said Mr Peat.

There has not been a new single-sex school built since the early 1960s, but those schools dominate academic achievement. There are about 125 single-sex schools in New Zealand. Before the introduction of NCEA, which has made comparing schools' performance all but impossible, eight out of the top 10 schools in the country were single sex in 2003.

Of the two co-ed schools, one was Cambridge High, which has since had its results discredited. Seven of the top 10 were girls' schools.

Mr English told the Herald there were big concerns over boys' academic performance, but the policy was also about choice for parents.

"Single-sex schools are an option that has been ruled out for 40 years and I don't see why.

"The Government is building lots of schools and if parents want single-sex education then that's what we should offer."

John Morris, headmaster at Auckland Grammar - the only all-boys school on the 2003 list - said he faced a "constant stream" of enquiries from prospective students' families.

"We have 2600 boys on our school roll and that would not happen if parents did not want it."

But Education Minister Trevor Mallard said there was extensive consultation before the building of any new secondary schools.

The debate has been fuelled by NCEA results in May that revealed girls were continuing to outperform boys and were creeping further ahead. They were even topping the class in traditionally male-dominated subjects.

Post-Primary Teachers' Association president Debbie Te Whaiti said socio-economic factors had a big part to play and disputed National's policy move.

St Kentigern was one of several single-sex schools moving to amalgamate, which indicated there was not a great demand for them, she said.

The problem is that research is sparse and inconclusive.

However, an Education Review Office report in 1999 said boys in single-sex schools tended to achieve higher exam results than their co-ed counterparts in all socio-economic areas.

Joseph Driessen, a Wanganui-based boys' education consultant, said the one thing existing research did show was that a difference could be made just by a school being aware of the difficulties in educating boys and introducing counter-measures.

"The biggest single issue is schools wanting to make changes and that needs a shift in society's attitudes," Mr Driessen said. "Boys are increasingly in a world where they feel they are not wanted and that needs to change."

Top 10 schools (2003)

St Cuthbert's College (girls)
Cambridge High School (co-ed)
Diocesan School for Girls, Auckland
Rangi Ruru Girls' School
Samuel Marsden Collegiate (girls)
Senior College of New Zealand (co-ed)
Chilton St James School (girls)
Columba College (girls)
Auckland Grammar School (boys)
St Oran's College (girls)