Madam, - I congratulate Louise Holden on a well researched and balanced article on the theme of "Single sex or co-ed" schools (January 25th).
Most of the important arguments are covered fairly. However, in the bullet points beside the article a long-standing myth is perpetuated: that a reason for choosing a single sex school is that "girls in single sex schools in the Republic get some of the best academic results in the country".
I can assure you that girls in co-ed schools also "get some of the best academic results" - and so do boys, in both single sex and co-ed schools. To put such a statement as a bullet point ruins the balance of the article since it is not in any way scientific and many readers may read only the bullet points.
Emer Smyth's excellent book for the ESRI, Do Schools Differ?, shows irrefutably that girls achieve better examination results on average in co-ed schools (page 66). The study is the best published of Irish schools and resulted from detailed analysis of 160 schools.
However, the difference in results from the two types of schools is small and there are, in my opinion, far more important reasons for choosing a school. These could include ethos, activities, relationships between staff and pupils, facilities, anti-bullying policies, transport, etc.
I think the most important reason for choosing a school is whether a parent feels a teenager will be happy and secure in that school's general environment because these maximise achievement of all kinds, including academic. - Yours, etc.,
BRIAN DUFFY, Principal, The High School, Rathgar, Dublin 6.