MIXED sex schools prepare students for life.

That’s the view of the headteacher of a top-rated Oxfordshire state school who has spoken out in favour of mixed education.

Earlier this month, Didcot Girls’ School headteacher Rachael Warwick praised the benefits of an all-girls education in allowing girls “space to grow”.

Now Simon Spiers, headteacher at King Alfred’s Academy in Wantage, has championed the cause of girls and boys learning together.

He said: “Our job in schools is to prepare students for life, whether it’s university, college or the workplace, and mixed schools do just that, preparing young people for normal life in a way that reflects society.

“We have the best of both worlds, with the opportunity to offer single-sex activities when we think it appropriate, but at other times we offer a full range of mixed education.”

He said concerns about some pupils dominating in traditionally male or female subjects such as science or English did not reflect his experiences.

And he said he believed most parents wanted mixed-sex education for children.

He said: “Parents should be asking schools about their most recent Ofsted reports, asking about behaviour and bullying and about how children progress.

“Whether children are engaged and feel comfortable is down to the quality of teaching and atmosphere, so in outstanding schools it is irrelevant if they are mixed or single sex.”

He said there was no conclusive evidence that either method produced better results – but pointed out the number of single sex schools had dramatically diminished in the past 10 to 15 years.

King Alfred’s was rated outstanding by Ofsted in February, and converted to an academy on August 1.

Pupil Kieran Pope, 15, said: “Boys and girls are not treated any differently from each other. We get equal opportunities and access to all subjects and we are not inhibited or distracted by the girls in any way.

“We just all stay on-task in the lessons.”

And Gemma Willis, 15, added: “In PE and sport, opportunities are open to both sexes to do everything – the boys do dance and the girls can do rugby.”

Last year Magdalen College School took girls into its sixth form for the first time, while Our Lady’s Abingdon went co-educational in 2009.

Headteacher Lynne Renwick said: “I believe the difference between a good school and a weaker one is not down simply to the sex of the children it teaches.

“Parents of boys in our junior school had been asking for some time if the senior school would consider admitting boys. They were looking for a good education, based on Catholic values in a family setting, for their children. Co-education will enable us to consolidate and develop so that the future of our school can be assured.”