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Anjula Mutada asks if separating the sexes for education a good idea.

Do children do better academically or is that just a myth? Do they flourish in the classroom away from the opposite sex or does it make them awkward and unprepared for the real world?

In the light of Everyone’s Invited, there has been renewed interest in all girls’ schools. But what are facts? If you have the choice of single-sex education should you take it?

Anjula explores the pros and cons, unearthing the latest research to find out how it might shape a child’s confidence and sporting opportunities, their understanding of gender and sexual preference. She asks if single sex schools can protect girls from sexual harassment and discovers they do significantly affect the chances of a happy marriage.

The programme follows Ailsa who is facing the choice of an all girls’ or co-ed school for her daughters.
To help her decide, Anjula is joined by a panel of experts:
Jessica Ringrose, Professor of the Sociology of Gender and Education at University College London; Lise Eliot Professor of Neuroscience at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science; Kevin Stannard, Director of Innovation and Learning at The Girls' Day School Trust; Katja Kaufmann, Professor of Economics at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz; Ivy Wong, Associate Professor of Psychology at the Chinese University of Hong Kong; Sue Woodroofe, Principal at The Grammar School at Leeds and author and teacher Mark Roberts.

Producer: Sarah Bowen