Co-Education

The same thing that sets an Elizabeth College education apart – a focus on equipping all our students to make a positive and purposeful contribution to society with the creativity and independence to forge their own paths and pursue their goals and dreams.

We have seen first-hand the benefits of co-education and want to extend those social, cultural and academic advantages to the whole community of the College.  The educational approach of Elizabeth College has stood the test of time; our students thrive through our commitment to care, independent learning, student leadership, and both academic and extra-curricular challenge and breadth.

We will be able to offer the same excellent opportunities to boys and girls as they progress through their education further enhancing the vibrant community that is Elizabeth College.  Brothers and sisters will be able to enjoy the values and ethos of the same school.

We are proud of the consistently high standards of academic achievement that boys and girls demonstrate across the College and particularly at GCSE and A Level.

Healthy competition across a wide range of subjects in the Upper School adds to the academic environment and encourages greater achievement.  Co-education ensures a balance of discussion in lessons and helps to break down barriers of gender stereotypes. Elizabeth College aims to enable students to achieve their academic potential and to develop a life-long love of learning, to encourage them to be curious, compassionate and courageous individuals and to support them as they explore their options for the future.

We are proud of the breadth of our co-curricular offer and aim to provide an equality of experience for boys and girls at the College.

All co-curricular activities are open to all students and we currently offer over 90 activities and sports, 20 of which are included as part of our popular Year 7 & 8 Friday afternoon activities. In a usual year we run over 50 off-island trips which encompass sports tours, cultural visits, CCF annual camps, Duke of Edinburgh expeditions, choral trip to St Malo and many others.

The recent ISI inspection recognised pastoral care as a strength of the College, with an 'Excellent' rating.  Every individual student is valued and supported as a member of the Elizabeth College community.  At both the Junior and Upper Schools, girls and boys benefit from male and female role models to look up to, and dedicated pastoral staff to talk with.  We have many members of staff who are experienced in working within the co-ed environments across the age-range and all staff are passionate about providing the necessary levels of support and care to ensure that boys and girls flourish.

Our staff have the expertise to support the mental health and wellbeing of all students including an experienced Head of Pastoral Care and Wellbeing, a School Listener, School Chaplain, Heads of Year and Tutor teams and an experienced Head of Learning Support.  We have also developed strong links with outside agencies which offer advice to parents and teachers whilst supporting students, should the necessity arise.

We devote curriculum time in every year group throughout the Upper School to PSHE & Wellbeing lessons which prepare all students to meet the demands of 21st Century life and we are fortunate that the delivery of this course is supported by many outside agencies as well as the expertise of our own staff.

The world is not single-sex and mixing boys and girls together at school allows them to develop an understanding of different perspectives and breaks down stereotypes. There are also multiple academic benefits to be had for both sexes in working together in a unified environment. National and international trends favour co-education. Since 1990, the number of UK single sex Independent Schools has roughly halved.

The meta-analysis undertaken for HMC by Smithers and Robinson (Carmichael Press, 2006) on the ‘Academic Impact of Co-educational and Single Sex Schools’ notes that ‘separating the sexes is not a recipe for raising educational performance’. This report is not alone, with many educational thinkers recognising the benefits of the co-educational classroom: the opportunities for collaboration, the confidence and empathy students develop through more diverse interactions, the broad range of debate and dialogue facilitated in the classroom and the rich atmosphere of supportive challenge which enables all learners to achieve greater success. The Smithers and Robinson report also recognises that the most important ingredients for academic success in any school are the School’s ‘ethos, leadership, teacher quality, spend per student, class size and the curriculum’.

Elizabeth College is now officially a Girls on Board School. We place a real priority on the happiness and wellbeing of our students and Girls on Board is a key part of our approach to pastoral care.

The Girls on Board programme is a pro-active approach, which delivers sessions that bring girls together to explore key principles around friendship dynamics and challenges. It helps girls, their parents and teachers to understand the dynamics of girl friendships and it uses language, methods and ideas which enable girls to understand and address friendship issues.

Through dedicated sessions, girls work together to explore group dynamics, different personality types and behaviours and how to manage parent reactions. Girls on Board enables girls to resolve issues more effectively and aims to minimise the impact of conflict when it does arise, by encouraging open, honest and effective communication.

Over 300 schools have adopted this award-winning approach and are now supporting thousands of girls in their friendships.

Girls on Board Parent Booklet