Gender Equality

The decision for Alleyn’s School to take girls as Sixth Form students back in 1975 meant that it was a pioneer of its time. After two years, girls were accepted as pupils throughout the school and so it has been ever since, through the addition of our co-educational Junior School in 1992 and into the current day.

The legacy this has given us, is a long-standing experience of offering an outstanding, co-educational education to girls and boys, from four to eighteen. We are deeply proud of our reputation and our experience and it is always a pleasure to meet Alleyn’s alumni, who point out the depth and longevity of the friendships they have made here, which, for so many, are lifelong.

At the heart of any co-educational school, is an absolute and powerful belief both in gender equality and in the rich, diversity which different perspectives and experiences of gender, can bring to a community like Alleyn’s. We are deeply proud of our pupils and of the way they work and play together. This is a co-educational school in every respect and in every arena: in the classroom, on the stage, in the orchestra, up a mountain, when volunteering in our community, and on the sports pitch. We select our athletes based on their attitude, commitment and talent, not on their gender – and we are delighted to do so.  Generating an atmosphere of mutual respect and of open, kind and honest communication is central to our ethos and our approach and trust is a value which is at the very heart of our school and always has been. And of course, this is reflected in our staff body and leadership, too.

This is not to say that our pupils, wherever they sit on the gender spectrum, don’t sometimes find it challenging to navigate the occasionally choppy waters of adolescence, particularly given the demands and stresses of ubiquitous screens and increasing online sexualisation and messaging. Our Relationships and Sex Education programme, which is offered as a core part of our Physical, Spiritual, Citizenship and Health Education (PSCHE) scheme of work, seeks to address the central issues head-on. We tackle issues around consent, abuse, harassment,  sexting, up-skirting and the difference between illegal and anti-social behaviour in this arena.  We seek to explore the basis of strong, mutually healthy relationships and conversely, what sort of attitudes and behaviours can lead to damaging, or toxic relationships.

We are aware of the critical need for parents, as well as pupils, to be part of this conversation and our programme of parent briefing and training sessions involves them in the conversation.  

Below you will find the Alleyn's Standing Against Sexism Statement, created collaboratively by pupils, staff and alumni, as well as links to other Gender Equality activities at Alleyn's, and our PSCHE and Policies pages.