About

Why all-girls?

It can be a daunting experience for any parent to decide whether to place their daughter in a single-sex or a co-ed school.

Over the past few years, there have been many debates about co-ed versus single-sex schooling in South Africa and the benefits that come with each. Research has shown a number of benefits to single-sex schools and at St Mary’s, we pride ourselves in giving our girl’s the chance to flourish in a comfortable environment.

One of the most noticeable benefits is an education that’s tailor-made to meet her developmental needs, and the chance to build interpersonal skills from a young age.

Caring for and supporting each other

Dr. Lisa Damour, a clinical psychologist and Executive Director of Laurel School’s Center for Research on Girls spoke about building interpersonal skills in an all-girls school adding, “Research indicates that girls place more emphasis on interpersonal relationships than boys, which may provide girls with beneficial social support … Compared to boys, girls are more likely to socialise in smaller groups, share more personal information with each other, and emphasize helping behavior over competitive behavior in their friendships.”

Success at academics

A recent study showed that there were more than double the top academic results for girls in girls’ only schools than co-ed schools. Regarding academic success, a recent article published that three girls from DSG schools in the Matric Class of 2019 made the IEB merit list for ‘commendable achievement’ having being placed ‘in the top 5% nationally across five subjects’. The proof is certainly in the pudding at St Mary’s as we have again achieved a 100% Bachelor’s Degree pass rate and the girls earned 330 distinctions between them – an average of 3,4 A’s per pupil.

Building confidence and leadership skills

In a single-sex schooling environment, girls are given the opportunity to thrive in positions of leadership at every level, thus aiding them in building their confidence to be better leaders for the future. Girls are taught to beat their own personal best, as opposed to competing with others – which often happens in a co-ed setting.

Book an appointment