In our friendly and respectful, single sex environment, girls of all ages and backgrounds are free to study and learn without feeling self conscious or worrying ‘what the boys might think’. Free from the distractions caused by social pressures, girls have the confidence to pursue the academic paths which best suit them, rather than making stereotypical subject choices. It is no surprise that single sex girls’ (and boys’) schools regularly dominate national League tables based on examination performance.
In a single-sex girls’ school, teachers can adapt their teaching styles to the girls’ preferred methods of learning. For example, as a general rule, girls like to work collaboratively and enjoy problem solving but they can be more self critical than boys. Confidence and security in the classroom are therefore essential to girls' success but teachers must also encourage them to push boundaries and take risks.
A girls’ school provides young women with a wealth of female role models, whether peers or older girls and members of staff. This helps them develop their own leadership skills and gives them the expectation that one day, they will be given responsibility and authority.
Girls at Bolton School learn to compete within a supportive atmosphere and to celebrate their own and others’ successes. They leave as confident, articulate young women who are going to go out into the world and make a difference.
Mrs Lynne Kyle
Head of Girls’ Division
The Girls' School Association (GSA), of which Bolton School Girls' Division is a member, recently conducted research on the girls' school advantage. It found that girls in girls’ schools: excel academically, have greater confidence and emotional intelligence, study a greater amount of STEM subjects, play the most sport, triumph as neurodivergent girls and from disadvantaged backgrounds, and become trailblazers and changemakers in the world beyond school to champion a better world for every girl, and a fairer world for all.