Christchurch single-sex state schools should remain
Christchurch single-sex state schools should remain, UC survey finds
February 24,
2013
Christchurch single-sex state schools should
never be threatened in future, a University of Canterbury
(UC) survey into schools has found.
The four
Christchurch single-sex state secondary schools -
Christchurch Girls’ High School, Christchurch Boys’ High
School, Avonside Girls’ High School and Shirley Boys’
High School - asked UC to develop an opinion survey to
elicit preferences for state schooling from their wider
community when mergers were proposed last year.
The survey was distributed by the four schools.
From more than 2000 replies most respondents, especially
those with a relationship to single-sex state secondary
schools in Christchurch, preferred single-sex state
schools.
Academic achievement was the highest
ranked reason for preference of school type followed by
school values/tradition and a supportive learning
environment. UC education lecturer Dr Therese Boustead said
having a choice was important to the majority of survey
respondents.
``Most people wanted to be able to
choose from either single-sex or co-education schools. They
largely felt that Christchurch single-sex state schools
should retain their single-sex identity and not become
co-educational schools.
``Most respondents
preferred to retain the number of both boys’ and girls’
state schools in Christchurch. Limitations due to zoning,
lack of accessibility and lack of choice was cited more for
girls’ state schools than for boys’ state schools.
``In terms of location of the single-sex state
secondary schools in Christchurch, most respondents
preferred to either retain the current locations of the four
schools or have the schools located in the east and west of
Christchurch.
``Most of the people surveyed were
connected to at least one or more of the four Christchurch
single-sex secondary schools,’’ Dr Boustead said.
Christchurch has two single-sex state secondary
boys’ schools and two single-sex state secondary girls’
schools.
The earthquakes resulted in a
redistribution of the Christchurch population and subsequent
proposals for change by the Ministry of Education. Some of
the ministry’s proposals addressed the relocation or
possible merging of these schools.
ENDS