Imagine your daughter stepping into a school built entirely around how girls learn best – where every lesson, every leadership opportunity and every corner of the community is built to empower her.
A place where academic rigour is balanced by emotional intelligence, where ambition isn’t something to hide but a thing to be proud of, and where confidence and leadership are the absolute norm. Few other schools can boast the same vibrant atmosphere with a genuine sense of community and friendship spanning the year groups – of girls not competing but cheering each other on.
This is the absolute essence of a single-sex education. It is what we mean by Made for Girls. And it is the embodiment of The Maynard.
Subconscious Bias in the Education Sector
True fact: co-educational schools were never designed with girls in mind.
Girls were integrated into these systems later, often without any substantial redesign of curricula or teaching styles to reflect their distinct learning needs and experiences. The result is a structure where girls are expected to adapt to a model that was never truly built for them.
| Girls in Co-Ed State Schools | The Maynard | |
|---|---|---|
| Academic Performance | Varies widely | Consistently high, with tailored stretch and support |
| STEM Uptake | Lower participation due to stereotypes | 2–3× more likely to take Physics, Computing, Further Maths |
| Confidence & Voice | Girls less likely to speak up in class, dips further in adolescence | Strong self-belief, high classroom engagement |
| Leadership | Competitive, often male-dominated | Girls lead everything – debate, sport, councils, clubs, assemblies, House Systems, Head Girl Team |
| Pastoral & Wellbeing | Inconsistent support | Deeply embedded support, award-winning wellbeing and strong teacher-student bonds |
| University & Careers | Influenced by stereotype and peer dynamics | Expert guidance, strong alumnae, elite placements, higher aspirations |
| School Culture | Shared focus, less gender-responsive | Entirely designed around how girls learn and grow |
| Teacher Training | General training, less focus on gendered learning | Teachers trained in how girls learn best; pedagogy rooted in female development and confidence-building |
| Social Pressures | Greater distraction from social dynamics; girls often moderate behaviour to fit in | Fewer distractions; girls are authentically themselves and free to focus fully on learning and growth |
It is so protective, supportive and carefree. Every girl is allowed to develop as the person she wants to become by doing what she loves every single day!
Isla, Current Student
Why Girls’ Schools Work
Something powerful happens when girls are given the space to be completely themselves. In our setting, designed entirely how girls learn best, they are encouraged to try everything… and they do, unabashed!
Various academic studies show that girls who attend girls’ schools have unique advantages. They:
- Perform better in examinations (by an average of one full GCSE grade per subject)*
- Are less constrained in their subject choices as they are less likely to conform to gender stereotypes
- Are far more likely to show leadership (and have many more opportunities to do so)
- Are significantly more engaged in public speaking
- Remain active in sport for much longer (again, because the provision is 100% geared towards female participation)
- Are more likely to continue STEM or unconventionally “female” careers after school
- Show a greater propensity to take risks and innovate
- Are more successful in the job market
It never crossed my mind that STEM was ‘for boys’ until I was in a lecture room at Imperial full of blokes! My love for STEM was always there from a young age, and being in an environment where it was encouraged only fuelled it.
Alexandra, Project Engineer
Contact Admissions
We would love to hear from you! If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with our friendly Admissions team.
