Parents want last single sex state school to admit boys
‘Time is right for debate’ as families launch survey on Notre Dame High
SCOTLAND’S only state-funded single sex school is facing a challenge to its status from a group of parents.
Families from the co-educational Notre Dame Primary, in the west end of Glasgow, want the council to hold a statutory consultation on letting boys into the girls-only secondary.
While there are still a number of single sex private schools in Scotland, Notre Dame High, a Catholic school founded in 1897, is the only remaining single sex comprehensive.
The parents intend to run a survey to gather opinion from across the school community with families from all feeder primaries and the secondary asked to make their views known.
Martin McElroy, councillor for the Glasgow Hillhead ward, said families he had spoken to felt the time was right to have a debate about the future of the school.
He said: “Notre Dame has a long and illustrious history in the west end, but having a conversation now about its future would give parents the opportunity to decide what is best for their children.
“While there are no proposals to change the criteria for entry at the moment, I would welcome the chance for parents to have their say in a formal consultation.”
A spokeswoman for Glasgow City Council said the process was at an early stage and stressed any future change would have to be widely supported across the school’s community.
Even if parents from Notre Dame Primary vote in favour of the secondary becoming coeducational there is still a strong interest in preserving its status from other groups, including Muslim parents and others from the Catholic community.
The spokeswoman said: “We are aware that some parents from Notre Dame Primary would like to explore the possibility of Notre Dame High School becoming a co-educational secondary school.
“Any changes need a statutory consultation with everyone who has an interest being able to express their views.
“Our officers are always happy to engage with parents, but any changes would affect parents from a number of schools and the views of all must be considered.”
The survey has been organised after concern from families from the primary who have both sons and daughters that when their offspring reach secondary age they will be unable to have them educated together.
Currently, boys educated at Notre Dame Primary have the option of going on to Thomas Aquinas, in Scotstoun, or John Paul Academy, in Summerston.
If parents want to send their boys to the local non-denominational school – Hyndland Secondary – they must make a placing request.
Professor Stephen McKinney, from Glasgow University’s School of Education, said single sex state education had largely disappeared in Scotland, but was still valued.
He said: “The school is a legacy from the past when many of the major schools in the city would have been single sex, as was the case in other parts of Scotland, particularly with a Catholic heritage.
“Attitudes at that time were that is was more appropriate to teach pupils separately along gender lines.”
Mr McKinney said that, although attitudes had changed over time, there was still a demand for single sex education from parents in both the state and private sectors.
He added: “It is a bit of an anomaly, but Notre Dame High still attracts pupils from across the city and is still providing something parents want.
“Research has shown that for some subjects, such as sciences, being in single sex classes can be effective for girls because they are not seen as being male dominated.”
The last time there was a challenge to the status of Notre Dame, one of the best performing schools in the city, was in 1999 when a group of parents took legal advice on the issue.
The education committee suggested a consultation, but it was rejected by the full council. THE Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur are a Roman Catholic institute of religious sisters, dedicated to providing education to the poor.
The institute was founded in Amiens, France in 1804, but the opposition of the local bishop to missions outside his diocese led to the moving of headquarters to Namur, Belgium in 1809 from which it spread to become a worldwide organization with foundations in five continents and 20 countries.
In 1894 Archbishop Eyre of Glasgow invited the Sisters of Notre Dame to establish a community in Glasgow and the Notre Dame Training College was opened in 1895 at Dowanhill.
In 1897 Notre Dame School was opened with a roll of 24 pupils and two teachers and by 1912 the number of pupils had risen to 193.
Overcrowding led to proposals for a new building designed by Thomas Cordiner opened in 1953 which is now a category A listed building.