Girls' schools a 'huge disadvantage', says co-ed head
Girls at single-sex schools can achieve top grades but are "at a huge disadvantage" if they leave unable to talk to boys, says a leading head.
If girls did not socialise with boys at school, "what happens when they go out into the workplace?", asked Richard Cairns, head of Brighton College.
Single-sex schools were a "deeply unrealistic world", said Mr Cairns, writing in a magazine.
But the Girls' Schools Association described his views as "old fashioned".
Writing in Independent School Parent, Mr Cairns complained too many parents were "swayed by outdated notions about girls performing better in single-sex schools".
Supporters of girls-only schools often argue pupils achieve better grades and are more likely to take subjects that are often male-dominated, such as maths.
