Gender relationships
Sir: Kate Berridge's article, 'Foundation course in women' (15 February) cannot be allowed to pass without comment. We are both in our last year at Marlborough Col- lege, a school that has not escaped com- ment in the national press in recent times.
Marlborough is a co-educational board- ing school of approximately 900 pupils. Girls were first admitted to the sixth form in the early 1960s and we became fully co- educational with the arrival of the new intake of boys and girls in September 1989. We have, therefore, experienced single-sex education, sixth form only girls' education and fully integrated co-education, and therefore feel qualified to offer an alterna- tive to most of Miss Berridge's views.
Initially, the disruption of familiar rou- tines created insecurity amongst the older boys in particular and this caused a less than polite and gentlemanly response. However, this is now history. The article said that there was a long way to go before the 'right formula for the treatment of girls at male-dominated schools was reached'. At Marlborough the formula may not he perfect but the girls and boys cohabit quite happily without the abusiveness towards girls described in the article.
Sure, attractive pupils with lively person- alities attract admiring comments, whatever the gender, but we are advised that this is no different in the world outside. 'Girls with big breasts have the best time', claims Miss Berridge, but this is a stupid remark which insults us and says more about Miss Berridge's unbalanced perceptions of gen- der relationships in a modern school.
Freddy Taggart and Rob Huie
Su mmerfield, Marlborough College, Wiltshire
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