Most students in single-sex schools want mixed enrolment

A large majority of secondary school students want to attend mixed schools and only a small minority in single-sex schools prefer their current gender mix, a new study shows.

The findings are contained in an Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) report on the voluntary secondary sector in Irish education, which is typically under the patronage of religious bodies and accounts for more than half of second-level schools.

Ireland has a very high proportion of single-sex schools in comparison with other European countries and is second only to Malta in terms of the relative volume of students attending all-boys or all-girls schools.

At second level, about 35 per cent of girls and 28 per cent of boys attend single-sex schools.

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However, more schools are changing, with St Joseph’s of Cluny in Killiney, Co Dublin – an all-girls secondary school – the latest to announce a move to become coeducational from next year.

The ESRI research, funded by the Joint Managerial Body, included surveys of students and staff across 21 voluntary secondary schools and found that pupils, regardless of attending single-sex or mixed schools, favoured coeducational settings. Preferences varied among staff and parents.

Fewer than 20 per cent of students in single-sex schools said they preferred their school’s gender mix, compared with almost 90 per cent in coeducational schools.

When asked whether they would prefer mostly single-sex schools or mostly coeducational schools across the education system as a whole, a preference for coeducational schools emerged, with 61 per cent of students favouring mostly or all coeducational schools.

Only 5 per cent preferred mostly single-sex schools, while about one-third stated a preference for an equal number of both types.

The ESRI says the scale of the preference expressed by students for coeducation was a surprise, in particular the small volume of students in single-sex schools who actively preferred their current school gender mix.

Almost all of Ireland’s single-sex schools are within the voluntary secondary sector, with the religious orders who originally founded the schools driving the decision to enrol only one sex.

As the religious orders have withdrawn from the direct management and day-to-day running of voluntary secondary schools, and under wider enrolment or social pressure, many schools are becoming coeducational, either by opening enrolment to both sexes or by amalgamating with other schools.

No new single-sex school has opened since 1998, and post-primary enrolment data show a steady decline in the proportion of students in single-sex schools since the early 1970s.

However, the ESRI found that many single-sex schools in the study were confident of the benefits of single-sex education and of the continuing strength of their enrolments.

One issue that came to the fore in conversations with students and survey data related to participation in sports among girls, particularly those in mixed schools. Students in some – but not all – coeducational schools highlighted a hierarchy of opportunity, with boys’ sports taking centre stage.

A dominance of male-orientated sport in coeducational settings has also been found in other countries. It notes the need to promote gender equality in sport, including school-based sport.

In terms of curriculum, the ESRI study found that gender differences persisted in the subjects available to students and in their subject choices, as well as in the extent to which different subjects are seen as interesting or difficult.

Only a small minority of students found learning Irish interesting, raising implications for the national language.

At Junior Cycle, concerns arose around an “excessive emphasis” on exams, the added pressure placed on students by the classroom-based assessments, a perceived lack of challenge with common level papers and a lack of preparedness for the senior cycle.

The results also provide evidence of an enduring impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on student motivation, socio-emotional wellbeing, social development and ability to reconnect with peers and manage stress.

Life satisfaction levels also varied widely, with levels a little lower among girls, students with additional needs and those from economically vulnerable families.

The potential detrimental impacts of increased technology use on students’ wellbeing were also noted, coupled with calls for enhanced professional development for teachers to support wellbeing.

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