Single-sex schools ‘discriminate’, says principal

The principal of a southwest Sydney boys high school, soon to merge with its neighbouring girls school and become co-ed, has referred to single-sex education as ‘a discriminatory structure’.

Liverpool Boys High School principal Michael Saxon.

The principal of a southwest Sydney boys high school, soon to merge with its neighbouring girls school and become co-ed, has referred to single-sex education as “a discriminatory structure”, as the institutions aim to bring together their distinct cultures and ways of teaching.

The principals of both Liverpool Boys and Liverpool Girls high schools are supportive of the merging of their government institutions to become co-ed by 2027.

Principal Michael Saxon, in a report by Western Sydney University, commissioned by himself and Liverpool Girls High School principal Kirstine Gonano ahead of the amalgamation, said it would be a positive step towards diversity and anti-discriminatory practice.

“I think that co-ed will give us back the richness that should exist in every school, and that sense of diversity,” he told researchers. “Single-sex schools are really a discriminatory structure, not sure how they comply with discrimination laws. Co-ed structure gets rid of that discrimination, and we get much better balance in terms of gender and sexuality diversities.”

The 141-page report looked at the differences between teaching practices and culture at the schools ahead of the merger to determine the best way forward and to ensure all stakeholders were represented. Researchers surveyed a small sample of students and about 25 per cent of teachers.

Numerous teachers at LGHS expressed directly to their female students pessimism about teaching male pupils, and about the merger, according to students, with warnings it may “exacerbate the complexities of the transition”.

In a section about the girls’ views on the merger, researchers wrote: “Negative commentary from teachers about boys in general, and about the school merger specifically, is circulating and spreading among the students at LGHS and may entrench stereotypical views about gender and learning”.

One LGHS year 12 student said: “We’ve had teachers complain that they don’t want to teach boys … if not all our teachers, almost all our teachers.”

Liverpool Girls High School in southwest Sydney.

Ms Gonano told The Australian many teachers’ opinions had changed since the survey was done earlier this year, just after the government confirmed the merger.

She said some of the comments were reflective of the general fear of change, which included the fact there would be 2000 students, up from 1200, and a new high-rise school building. “The co-ed thing isn’t really a thing,” she added.

The NSW government has made a commitment that every student in the state will have guaranteed access to a co-educational public high school by 2027. It previously said 56 per cent of future Liverpool High School parents stated a preference for a co-educational school, and the merger was celebrated by local MPs.

Throughout the study, staff at LGHS argued that what makes the school unique is that it is extremely multicultural and single-sex, which “empowered” its students. “As the school is very multicultural it is essential that the school shows the girls from different backgrounds that there are a wide range of roles for women in society,” the report noted.

Ms Gonano told The Australian: “Our teachers are very committed to school culture and teaching our students, but whether that’s about single-sex education or about empowering the young females in our school … they’re two very different views”.

Boys and girls at both schools also had mixed views about the merger, their main concern being increased distractions in the classroom. Other students believed it would expand their opportunities and resources.

Researchers recommended school management expand “respectful relationship education” ahead of the merger to address issues such as sexual harassment, misogyny and homophobia – with the latter described by students as a “massive issue” – and to introduce gender awareness training, and boost availability of counsellors and mental health resources.