Survey On Single-sex, Co-educational Schools

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30529, 26 August 1964, Page 18

Survey On Single-sex, Co-educational Schools

A new survey of preferences for coeducational or single* sex schools (whether established or possible in the future and with regard for present district provisions) will be carried out by the Post-primary Schools’ Council among all parents of present Form I pupils in the Christchurch metropolitan area. Form II is not being used, as their post-primary schools have already been nominated.

The council wants a representative sampling of future demands, divorced from desire* in any particular district, for consideration

in its long-term plans. It is likely that the survey will be made before the end of this year.

A committee of the council, consisting of Dr. C. D. Ellyett (convener), Mr E. R. Hounseil, and Mr A. F. Foley, has been examining future needs. It reported in committee last evening and this, with discussion, lasted nearly an hour.

Afterwards the following section of the report, adopted by the council, was released: “The general question of parents’ preference, which in many cases is merely parents’ prejudice, for single-sex or co-educational high schools in Christchurch remains an unknown quantity. An attempt to resolve this question some years ago by means of a small sampling of a fairly involved questionnaire largely served to show that there were firm preferences both ways. “Since then, the coeducational schools have become much better known. Pressure for entry to the four singlesex schools, however, remains very high, and it is not known whether these pressures prevent still further applications being made to them. Consequently the committee recommends the survey.

“It is noted that schools growing to 1200 to 1500 pupils

are normally thought to be the coeducational schools. If the results of the questionnaire indicate that a higher percentage of parent* is interested in single-sex schools than the percentage of such accommodation allows, consideration should be given to expanding single-sex schools also to a roll of 1200 to 1500.” The survey, to be made

through primary and intermediate schools with the cooperation of the Canterbury Education Board, will ask simply whether, if given completely free choice, parents would prefer their child to have a single-sex school ar a ce-edueational school, or have no preference. About 3000 families will be sampled-