A majority of teenagers attending single-sex schools would prefer their school to be co-educational, a study by the Economic and Social Research Institute has found.
However it also found that 44% of girls, particularly those attending single-sex schools, considered single-sex education"better" in terms of their academic development. A total of 90% of voluntary secondary schools have a Catholic ethos. The voluntary sector is home to almost all of the country's single-sex schools.
When asked by the ESRI why they favoured a co-educational setting, by far the strongest reason, given by 764 students who responded, was the benefits of mixed socialisation.
The report stated that some students highlighted religion in their schools as"a malign influence, instrumental in creating and maintaining single-sex schools".