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Any parent will recognise Peter Smith's assessment of the boys he teaches at Hampton School in south-west London: 'Boys are like greyhounds. They love the chase and the race, and they don't care if the prize is a fake rabbit.' Mr Smith had invited me into one of his English classes at this single-sex private secondary school to illustrate the point. The boys, aged 13 and 14, were set against each other in a timed test involving the rearranging of jumbled lines from Shakespeare's Romeo And Juliet. The prize for the first one to achieve this was a blackberry-flavoured cough sweet. Old style: Boys used to be taught in single sex classes Noisy consultation ensued as Mr Smith walked around the class, giving clues, egging on pupils and calling out the time remaining. He stopped by my desk: 'It is noisy and messy looking, but they... [read full story]
