Cranbrook in Sydney’s east is one of Australia’s most elite boys’ schools. On Monday night, ABC’s Four Corners program aired claims by some female teachers that they were bullied by male staff members and sexually harassed by students.
With the school set to become fully co-educational by 2028, there are concerns about whether Cranbrook will be a safe place for girls.
Cranbrook College said in a statement to ABC that “current staff, including female staff, are overwhelmingly supportive of the school, its values and culture.” The school also said it had appointed teacher Daisy Turnbull to prepare for co-education and to “help drive gender equality” at the school.
What do schools need to do to become truly gender-inclusive?
sexist school culture
In recent years, a number of boys’ private schools have faced allegations of unacceptable gender cultures. This includes student sexual assault, aggressive behavior online and in public spaces, and grossly inadequate responses to student-on-student sexual assault and violence.
Previous Australian research has shown that elite all-boys schools can be hostile places for women, girls, transgender and gender diverse students, and boys who do not conform to traditional norms of masculinity. It has also been found that there is.
Read more: Why are there single-sex schools? What’s the history behind the biggest debate in education?
It is not enough to simply go coeducational.
Simply admitting girls does not automatically make an all-boys school more inclusive, less sexist, or safer.
Schools that aim to truly embrace a wide range of students will need to significantly reshape their own structures and culture, both inside and outside of the classroom.
The World Health Organization has developed a framework for ensuring health and safety in schools. This addresses three overlapping areas:
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teaching and learning
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wider school environment
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Partnerships with parents and the community.
This approach can be applied to gender equality and inclusion.
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teaching and learning
The first elements of a healthy school include what students learn and the approaches and strategies used to teach it.
Gender-equal schools offer a diverse curriculum and equally diverse extra-curricular opportunities available to all students, regardless of gender.
There are different types of boys and different types of girls. Therefore, even single-sex schools need to accommodate students with a wide range of skills, interests, preferences, and experiences. Similarly, some transgender and non-binary students may be excluded from school activities segregated along narrow gender lines.
Some coeducational schools still segregate boys and girls in certain subjects. This approach supports the idea that boys and girls learn differently and that some topics (such as menstruation) are uncomfortable to discuss in mixed-gender groups.
Some schools are choosing to segregate classrooms to increase opportunities for girls in traditionally underrepresented areas. This may stem from feminist perceptions of gender inequality, but it reaffirms the very divide feminists seek to challenge.
Read more: Are single-sex schools becoming an endangered species as another elite boys’ school goes coeducational?
Gender equality across the curriculum
The current Australian curriculum provides opportunities to engage young people in discussions about gender stereotypes and power in age-appropriate ways in both primary and high school.
In English, students must encounter diverse characters who challenge traditional gender roles and inequalities.
Science, technology, engineering, and math subjects can foster enthusiasm for STEM-related content and careers through hands-on classroom activities that encourage critical thinking and increase confidence.
Comprehensive sexuality and relationships education should be a priority in health and physical education and should include discussion of gender, power, violence, consent, and healthy relationships.
Teachers’ values and attitudes regarding gender are also reflected in their daily teaching habits and practices. This includes whether to address students using gender-appropriate language, dividing students into gendered groups for activities, and disciplining boys and girls differently.
Therefore, teachers also need support and high-quality professional development to keep pace with the evolving understanding of gender and gender diversity.
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wider school environment
The second element of a healthy school is school culture. School leaders need to use respectful and inclusive language, and there needs to be strong policies to address child protection concerns, gender-based discrimination and violence in schools.
Research shows that unlike other forms of bullying, gender-based violence is often overlooked or ignored by staff. Sexist behavior can be dismissed as a “normal part of growing up” and becomes a regular part of young people’s schooling.
School staff also deserve to feel valued, respected, and safe at work, regardless of their sex, gender, or sexuality. Unfortunately, there is evidence that this is not always the case. A 2018 survey found that 43% of LGBTIQA teachers in New South Wales reported experiences of discrimination in the workplace. An Australian study published in 2020 found that female teachers at elite all-boys schools experience unacceptably high rates of sexual harassment.
School leaders have a duty to ensure their schools have robust policies and processes to respond to disclosures of harassment or discrimination by staff. We also need to pursue evidence-based cultural change to ensure a safe working environment.
Read more: There are reports of some students making sexual moans at school.Parents and teachers can respond by:
get students involved
Students can be active partners in developing inclusive school communities, and can also help co-design gender curriculum, overcome bias, and build healthy relationships.
Student diversity should also be reflected through gender-balanced representation in student leadership roles. Student initiatives around gender equality and LGBTQIA+ visibility, such as gender and sexuality alliances, should also be supported.
School uniforms need to offer choice so that all young people feel safe and comfortable in what they wear to school.
Read more: ‘Why can’t I wear a dress?’ What schools can learn from kindergarten about supporting transgender children
Partnerships and services
The third and final part of a healthy school looks beyond the school gates. Schools must view parents as partners and respect the diversity of their communities.
Parents should be invited to ask questions, voice concerns, and provide expertise about the curriculum and school culture. School policies should be public and regularly reviewed with student and parent input.
Schools can also collaborate with organizations that promote gender equality and diversity and promote healthy relationships, such as Our Watch, Family Planning, and Twenty10.
These organizations can support school counseling and pastoral services and provide resources and training to teachers.
All schools can adopt this model
Although boys’ schools have received much media attention recently, all schools should be asked to value and reflect gender culture.
Coeducational and all-girls schools are not immune to gender-based violence, sexism, homophobia, and transphobia.
A school-wide review of curriculum, school culture and partnerships will help ensure schools create inclusive and respectful environments. This work is urgently needed if we are to have a safe society for all students and teachers in schools.