When and where were mixed classes introduced in British Grammar schools?

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Request for Question Clarification by johnny_phoenix-ga on 15 Oct 2002 04:44 PDT

Mixed classes in education have been around since medieval times
although i have managed to find the names and some dates for the first
co-ed boarding school, private school and one of the first co-ed
secondary schools.

Would you accept the above information as an answer?

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Clarification of Question by meerschaum-ga on 15 Oct 2002 05:55 PDT

Yes, I would accept that information as an answer.

Hello, 

In order to answer your question, I emailled Professor Richard Aldrich
who is the author of several books relating to the history of
education. He replied very promptly to my enquiry and advised that
co-educational classes have existed since medieval times.

However further searches revealed that although co-ed classes have
been around for literally ages, co-ed schools have not.

Boarding Schools
****************

The first co-educational Boarding School in the UK was the Alfree
School in 1766. You can find the passage about half-way along the
following page although CTRL - F and then "Alfree" when on the page
will take you straight to it.

The Alfree School
http://www.cowbeech.force9.co.uk/hmcxhistory.htm

Next was the Dollar Academy in Petersfield, which opened it's doors in
1818 and also claims to have been the first co-educational boarding
school in the UK.

Dollar Academy
http://www.swcrawford.co.uk/Pages/PUBL09.HTM

Public School
*************
Bedales school also claims to be the first co-educational boarding
school in the UK although it did not open up it's doors until
1893..but it appears that the accolade for first co-ed "public school"
is not contested.

Bedales 
www.compaq.co.uk/education/success-stories/ archive/bedales.stm 

Grammar/Secondary 
*****************

Lydney Grammar School, was founded in 1903 and pre-dates many of the
other pretenders to the throne of first co-ed grammar school.

Lydney Grammar
beehive.thisisgloucestershire.co.uk/ default.asp?WCI=SiteHome&ID=5779

However, Lady Manners School, established in the 1890's claims to be
amongst the first technical grammar schools in the country.

Lady Manners School.
://www.google.co.uk/search?q=cache:I8wJYdEWfjUC:www.ladymanners.derbyshire.sch.uk/downloads/brochure.pdf++%22first+co+educational%22&hl=en&ie=UTF-8

There are a few others that claim to be the first grammar schools, but
they are from the 1950's so they can't really argue the point
convincingly. Nor in fact do they try.



Search Keys "First Co-educational" UK Search.



Hope this helps.

Johnny Phoenix

Outstanding...exactly what I was after.  Thanks.

www.dollaracademy.net is the latest school website