Creating a teaching approach designed for girls to thrive
In May this year (2024) the Guardian published an article showing that pupils in girls’ schools in England outperform girls with similar records and backgrounds in mixed schools equivalent to 10% higher GCSE grades in 2023. In contrast, boys at all-boys’ schools received no exam boost compared with their peers at mixed schools. This is a remarkable statistic which shows the academic benefit (alongside the clear social benefits) of having girls in the classroom, and perhaps why more and more leading boys’ schools (such as Westminster ) are going, or have gone, co-ed. But what is it about an all-girls’ classroom that allows girls to thrive? This was exactly the question I asked myself when I became Head of Teaching and Learning at Woldingham two years ago. Woldingham prides itself on the range of opportunities it offers students, allowing them to ‘write their own story’ at the school, be it academic, sporting, music or any other interests or passions. I was tasked with capturing what