Tracey Fantham, Headteacher at Manor House School, Leatherhead explains why she believes single-sex education provides a better school experience than a co-educational one
Exam results consistently confirm that girls taught in single-sex schools  outperform those at co-educational schools, and yet the number of single-sex independent schools in the UK has actually halved over the last 20 years ? putting places at a greater premium than ever. Why is this"
The superior academic performance of single-sex schools is certainly a good incentive for choosing a selective independent over a state alternative, which is more likely to be co-educational. And while independent schools across the country have always been synonymous with higher grades, figures from educational analysts, SchoolDash, also point to single-sex success in the state sector.
students have the space they need to mature, away from the pressure of conforming to certain stereotypes

According to a SchoolDash report based on Department for Education data, girls at single-sex state schools gained significantly better GCSE results than those at mixed schools. Equally, boys at single-sex state schools also performed better than those in co-ed schools, though the performance gap was smaller than it was for girls. Collectively, 75% of pupils at single-sex schools achieved five good GCSEs (including English and maths), compared with just 55% at mixed schools.
Improved performance
So why do girls perform better at si...