CAITLIN J, YEAR 13 & KIRAT G, YEAR 12

This week, in our Academic Scholars session, we had the opportunity to observe the preliminary rounds of the inter-house debating competition with some of the older academic scholars assisting with the role of judging. The debate motion was “All secondary schools should be co-educational”, which sparked a thought-provoking debate.

The proposition highlighted the social advantages that co-education can provide students, placing emphasis on how exposure to diverse peer groups fosters broader perspectives and collaborative skills which are needed later in life.

The opposition took a more scientific, fact-based approach, arguing that single-sex education can be particularly beneficial for academic performances and participation, especially in regard to STEM related subjects and co-curricular activities; where statistics show that girls were more likely to pursue these fields in a non co-education environment.

Overall, this was a topic which prompted an informative and insightful debate and we look forward to the final, which takes place on Friday 21 March.