Thriving together at prep school: how children benefit from single sex education with co-ed collaboration

Louisa McCafferty, Head of Broomwood Prep – Girls, expresses why choosing a single sex school with co-educational opportunities gives children the best of both worlds.

Broomwood has long been known in the local community as a family of schools with a shared ethos and values. Although each site within the group has its own identify, which we are committed to retaining, never more has the sense of togetherness been so apparent. From September 2023, our co-ed pre-prep and single sex prep schools now share the same uniform, come together for cross site events, and fall under one name: Broomwood. If you live locally, you will recognise the bright ‘Broomwood blue’ worn by the children across all sites.

Moving at year three: the best of both worlds

Children start in our co-ed prep school until the age of seven when they move to our single sex prep schools. The opportunities our model creates are wide and varied and have always allowed Broomwood to consider and review what makes a great education for our pupils both in the here and now as well as the future. We believe the optimum time to move is at the end of Year 2, which allows our provision and education to reflect the changing needs of our pupils. In the prep schools, our young learners enjoy a curriculum that has been designed to appeal to their interests, ways of working and skills. However, our structure means we can also bring the boys and girls together regularly to collaborate, interact, retain previous friendships and develop new ones. Our ‘Best of Both’ model gives our children a prep school pathway full of rich, exciting opportunities, challenge and support and a tailored approach that keeps them at the centre of everything we do.

Co-ed or single sex? Finding the right approach

The question of co-ed versus single sex is one we know many parents ask themselves, particularly when considering what type of school is going to be right for their child. At Broomwood, we recognise the importance of identifying and recognising the needs of our pupils, both girls and boys, at the different stages of the journey.

In our pre-prep, the focus is on acquiring foundation skills, developing Learning Powers (communication, resilience and independence to name a few) and fostering a love of learning. The children at this stage enjoy the co-ed environment as they learn from one another, role model and start to develop a sense of self. As they approach Key Stage 2, their interests on a social level often begin to separate and their approach to learning changes. Not all girls enjoy working independently and prefer a quiet environment and similarly not all boys mature later than their female peers. However, we do know that there are skills that many girls show more proficiency with from a younger age and styles of working that really appeal to the majority of boys. Knowing this allows us to consider what environment and approach to learning will stimulate, excite, and engage our boys and girls and plan accordingly.

A bespoke education

When it comes to learning support or preparation for senior school exams, Broomwood caters to the individual. We look at what that child needs, what we can do to support them and then review the impact that the strategies deployed have on that individual’s progress, attainment and happiness. When the girls and boys move to Broomwood Prep – Girls and Broomwood Prep – Boys, they enjoy a huge breadth of opportunity within our curriculum that never suffers the segregation or stereotyping that co-ed settings can subconsciously/indirectly encourage. Our pupils are empowered to have a go, try new things and actively to contribute to school life both in and out of the classroom. As a school we can react to the needs of our young learners and ensure they are supported at every stage of the journey.

Supporting each child

While many of the benefits of our model focus on our pupils’ academic education and extra-curricular opportunities, it is in the pastoral arena that we see our approach having the greatest impact. The support, guidance and advice that girls and boys need is different during the pre-teen and early teenage years. The types of support vary and so do the issues that our pupils face. In the last years, particularly post covid, we are seeing an increase in the number of girls suffering from anxiety and separation issues. We have pupils who find it difficult in managing stress and there are more cases of short-term school refusers creeping in. At the boys prep we find a need for structure – the boys have told us they want to understand the consequences of their actions.

Our single sex sites offer incredible in-built support to pupils who are experiencing challenges with their wellbeing. Not only do we use data to inform us of trends that occur, but we can react to situations that appear in isolation. The key is looking at how we can support the girls and boys and prepare them for future situations that they will undoubtedly have to navigate, while also including immediate targeted support as and when issues arise. At times there is an assumption that a co-ed environment balances out the different challenges young people face, but at Broomwood we have the experience to recognise the needs of girls and boys, identify the issues they face and look at solutions or strategies to help them feel happy and engaged so they can get the best out of school.

This article first appeared in the 2024/25 edition of Which London School? & the South-East, which you can read in full below: