Life is co-ed, schools should be too, says Pulteney Grammar principal Anne Dunstan

SCHOOLS that enrol both boys and girls are best placed to prepare students for life away from the classroom, principal Anne Dunstan says.

SCHOOLS that enrol both boys and girls are best placed to prepare students for life away from the classroom, the new principal of one of Adelaide's leading schools says.

Pulteney Grammar School's incoming principal Anne Dunstan, the first female to lead the school in its 166-year history, says coeducational schools help students adapt better to the world.

"The bottom line is that life is co-ed. I certainly feel that the schools which best prepare our young people for life after school are co-ed," said Mrs Dunstan, who assumes her new role in January.

"Boys and girls clearly have different ways of learning, but it comes down to great teaching in the right climate in the right culture.

"When you get these things right, you cater for both their needs."

The comments have prompted debate about the different educational models.

Christian Brothers College principal Noel Mifsud say students at his school benefit greatly from the all-boys environment.

"Even things like the seating plans, the way you write assignments and the deadlines you give are different for boys," Mr Mifsud said.

"We also work closely with all-girls schools, so the boys are still getting that important interaction."

SA Primary Principals Association president Steve Portlock said the most important thing was that parents have a range of options.

"They need as much choice as possible, it's good we are having this discussion," he said.

Mr Portlock said while the majority of public schools in SA are coeducational, several primary schools, such as Hackham East, have set up boys-only classes to help address their specific learning needs.

St Peters Girls' School principal Fiona Godfrey said females were more likely to study science and maths and research has suggested the achieve higher academic results in an all-girls setting.

"When our girls finish school, they are forthright, articulate and well-equipped for the world," she said.

Wilderness School principal Jane Danvers agreed, saying there is no gender stereotyping with subject selection.

But Scotch College principal Tim Oughton said the former boys school had made the right decision when it switched to coeducation in 1972.

"We changed simply because we are preparing young people for the real world, which is actually populated by both men and women, and also because our experience shows that separating boys and girls does not help them become better leaders," he said.

UniSA Associate Professor Judith Gill has authored a book, on the topic called Beyond the Great Divide, and said there is a worldwide trend towards coeducation for several reasons.

"Sometimes it's as simple as the convenience of having all your children at the same spot," Associate Professor Gill said.

"What I think what has also been shown is that girls do just as well in a co-ed setting."

Mrs Dunstan, who is deputy principal at Scotch Oakburn College in Launceston and has held leadership positions at several Adelaide schools, including Wilderness School, is the first female principal at Pulteney.

The South Tce school first introduced coeducation in 1999.

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