People might expect me to champion all-boys’ education as inherently superior to co-education. My view, however, is that quality is what truly matters: there are excellent and less effective schools in both single sex and co-educational settings. Arnold House is a leading all-boys’ school because we consciously set out to maximise the advantages that our profile gives us: we are all-boys’ by choice, not simply by tradition. Visitors quickly notice the distinctive character and spirited energy of Arnold House boys, which contribute so much to the life of the school.
As I say, this is not accidental. We must continually assess all that we do through the lens of what is optimal for boys, and whether the boys are becoming the very best versions of themselves with us. One strand of this is that Arnold House is a member of the International Boys’ Schools Coalition , which connects dedicated educators worldwide to discover the best learning practices for boys.
As well as regular training and engagement with the ISBC network, last year Arnold House staff participated in a research project commissioned by the IBSC and led by Professor Andrew Martin at the University of New South Wales. The aim of the project was to use the combined expertise of boys’ schools across the world to identify the most effective methods of supporting effective learning in the boys-only environment.
The International Boys’ Schools Coalition Research Project
The Research Project
The research project investigated the educational practices that best support boys’ academic progress and co-curricular life. It brought together input from boys’ schools in three areas:
1. Ways that exemplary classroom teachers and co-curricular leaders provide effective practices in their daily interactions with boys;
2. Boys’ experiences of effective (classroom and co-curricular) educational practices;
3. Boys schools leaders’ advice on action they take to support effective daily interactions between teachers/co-curricular leaders and boys.
Statistical analysis was then conducted to identify the educational practices most predictive of boys’ academic progress.
A total of 17,502 boys and staff from 43 schools in 6 countries (Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, United Kingdom, United States) participated.
Key Findings on How Boys Learn Best
Analysis of the submitted data identified four factors significantly associated with enhanced
performance by boys at school:
1. Quality Instruction: Providing explicit instruction and guidance initially and then encouraging independent learning or activity once boys have the necessary skill and knowledge.
2. Autonomy Support: Encouraging boys’ input, involving boys in decisions, exploring boys’ ideas, and listening to boys’ views on how to do things.
3. Positive Belief in Boys: Having positive belief in boys’ ability to do well, learn, and succeed in difficult tasks and activities.
4. Relational Support: Showing warmth, providing emotional support, being approachable, and demonstrating enjoyment and enthusiasm when working with boys.
Developmental Differences in Boys’ Learning and Behaviour
At first sight these findings may look unsurprising: most people would assume that a well-trained teacher, prepared to help the pupils, forms the basis of every effective classroom. If, however, we reflect on the experience of many boys at school, especially in co-educational settings, an important message comes through.
In middle childhood Boys’ social development lags behind girls of a similar age, so they can struggle to engage with the ways in which teachers are attempting to establish rapport with their students: primary-aged boys and girls have different ways of interacting with adults, different senses of humour, different ways of regulating themselves. Due to these differences, boys’ responses and behaviour can often be framed as negative and, in turn, the boys are increasingly presented with direct instruction and strict parameters. Teaching pre-teen boys in a mixed classroom can easily result in the boys missing the vital sense of support, agency and positive belief in them that the research so clearly prescribes.
In a leading boys’ school Teaching staff reframe their understanding of boys’ needs, adapt their practice to provide supportive, relationship-focused guidance for each pupil, through which they communicate their belief in his ability to succeed. At Arnold House we recruit staff for their expertise, of course, but also for their empathy we work hard to create a rigorous academic curriculum, but just as hard to deliver it in a truly human way.
The Arnold House Approach
‘Reach to teach’ is a rather trite phrase but it contains an important truth. Warm, personal interactions are at the heart of Arnold House: we address boys by their first names, we ask boys how they are; and greet them with a smile. These behaviours do not undermine our ability to inspire, instruct or discipline the boys, but instead give us a very effective platform for driving the boys’ development in all areas.
A school that values achievement at the expense of wellbeing risks overlooking what truly supports long-term success, as any senior school will tell you; pupils may arrive with excellent scores yet lack confidence, or the skills with which to navigate the more personal challenges of GCSE and A-Level study. At Arnold House boys combine strong academic ability with self-belief and pro-social skills, ready to engage wholeheartedly into every activity.
We are proud of our approach, and the results we achieve: it is good to see this backed by research!
See how we prepare pupils for the next step
Discover life at Arnold House and arrange a visit.
Giles Tollit
Headmaster
