A 12-year study has found that boys consistently perform better in an all boys’ school compared to boys in co-educational schools.
This was one of several interesting topics presented at the recent International Boys’ Schools Coalition (IBSC) Conference in Auckland, New Zealand which I attended alongside three of my Toowoomba Grammar School colleagues – Mr Luke Rawle, Mr Dave Klan and Mrs Jessica Galbraith. We joined 600 leading educators from 15 countries around the world for the four-day conference, hosted by Westlake Boys High School, a school of 2600 boys.
The theme of the conference was Kia Moemoeā: Dream Beyond Limits. The event’s aim was to motivate boys’ educators to develop men of the future, encouraging boys to feel connected and engaged in their learning and with their community.
We were met with a wonderful and traditional Māori welcome that set the scene for a culture-rich conference. Keynote speakers and educators shared research and best practice to empower our boys to be thought leaders in wellbeing, technology, diverse learning environments, resilience and collaboration. Delegates discussed how we can positively impact boys’ education and develop connectedness and leadership in each student.
Results were shared of a 12-year longitudinal study in New Zealand comparing boys’ performance in a single sex school environment compared to boys in co-educational schools. The results consistently highlighted the better performance of boys when in all-boys’ schools. The study pointed to all boys’ schools and their culture, traditions, expectations, routines and pride for the school as reasons for the better performance.
A plethora of Conference workshops focussed on the Kia Moemoeā: Dream Beyond Limits theme, concentrating on one of the conference tracks:
- Effective Teaching Practices
- School Leadership
- Wellbeing and Healthy Communities
- Digital Engagement
- Cultural Responsiveness
Presenters in each workshop demonstrated best teaching practice in the broadest sense by stimulating discussion and providing tangible, effective examples to promote the education of boys and prepare them to face the challenges of tomorrow.
The conference provided us with a terrific opportunity to hold discussions with like-minded and motivated boys’ school leaders and educators, inspiring ideas to further improve our great schools.
- TGS Deputy Headmaster, Mr John Anderson
Latest Blog
Outdoor Pursuits and Activities Week - Developing Good Character Beyond the Classroom
We offer a range of enrichment activities for our boys, but the last week of Term 1 is a very special opportunity for all of our Senior School students. It's Outdoor Pursuits and Activities Week, which provides age-appropriate physical challenges in a safe, well-supervised environment. Activities on the various camps may include ropes courses, rock climbing, bodyboarding, surfing, mountain biking and canoeing. The aim is to foster a love of the outdoors and an appreciation of the environment.…
Stories behind key TGS staff helping shape our students
It was my great privilege to join TGS as Head of House - Boyce Boarding in 2024. The opportunity to lead these young men of character on their TGS journey carries great weight but is also enormously exciting. Embarking upon this project alongside my wife Meg as Boyce Boarding House Manager strengthens the team further. I am hopeful that we will demonstrate to the boys how positive relationships can foster a warm and supportive environment. I know that many of our boys are familiar with strong…
More Than Just an Education and That Makes All the Difference
Toowoomba Grammar School excels in its extensive co-curricular programs, particularly in performing arts and sports. Our boys learn that success comes from hard work and dedication. This ethos is inspired by quotes like “You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great,” “The harder I work, the luckier I get” and the words emblazoned on our P.B. Hauser Aquatic Centre wall “Success is the celebration of preparation.” These opportunities allow students to excel in programs…
Stewardship: Leading the Way in Safety, Sustainability and Security
However, the challenges facing the Director of Facilities, Mr Bengie Dickeson and the Director of Information Technology, Mr Ron Robinson certainly are. This month's weather has been nothing if not unpredictable and it's in those conditions that both these men's skills come to the fore. With Tropical Cyclone Alfred and its threat to our School campus and community - Mr Bengie Dickeson and Mr Ron Robinson played integral roles in keeping everyone and everything on our 150-year-old campus safe.…
Pursuing New Horizons in Horticulture
Jake Moon is a sixth-generation primary producer. He is dedicated to agriculture and is currently working at his family’s St George farming enterprise, tackling some of the sector’s biggest challenges. The 28-year-old says his family moved to the St George irrigation precinct in 1978, initially growing rockmelons and watermelons, hence the business name Moonrocks. Seasonal and market changes led them to switch crops frequently, growing grapes, broccoli and even wax flowers over the years.…
Crushing it at Cricket and Conveying Culture
He explains that he’s named after Yarramundi, a respected and influential leader of the Richmond tribes of the Dharagnora (Hawkesbury-Nepean region of New South Wales) and a respected elder of the Boorooberongal clan of the Dharug people. “I’m proud of my culture and excited to have just started learning Dharug Dalang as part of the language revitalisation with my family.” During one week late last year he juggled exams, balanced representative cricket in Mackay with being the emcee of the…
Disappointment: A Necessary Part of School Life
Schools are inherently hopeful and happy places. Their natural focus on growth, connectedness and preparing youth for a better future creates an optimistic atmosphere in which ambitions are born. These positive emotions and experiences lay the foundation for our expectations and while these can be highly motivating, they come with a catch: the greater our expectations, the greater the disappointments, too. Disappointment is not a popular feeling. Rightly so, not many of us wish to feel sad,…
Boys and Belonging at TGS
As a boarding master of adolescent boys, my role fundamentally concerns pastoral wellbeing and character development to support a successful academic journey. A positive sense of belonging — where boarders feel safe, supported and heard — is fundamental to an effective boarding environment. As such, I felt there was a distinct connection between the International Boys’ Schools Coalition’s (IBSC) theme for the 2024–25 Action Research Cohort, “Boys and Belonging” and what I believe is best…
Fostering Growth and Resilience
This philosophy is vividly demonstrated through our Junior School MATES program, an initiative designed to equip boys from Prep to Year 6 with the skills they need to thrive both in and out of the classroom. Year 6 leader Hugo Seaby epitomises what the program is all about. As a leader in Stephens House, he explains its importance: “It’s about spending time with the younger boys and learning about honesty, respect, kindness and other attributes like that.” He said that it’s helpful for the…
