One of Britain's highestperforming private schools for boys is to take older girls, as the move away from single-sex education gathers pace. The decision by King's College School, Wimbledon, south London, to allow 16- to 18-year-old girls into its sixth form - where they study for the International Baccalaureate before heading for university - is unusual because it has been made from a position of strength.

Dick Davison of MTM-Consulting, which advises private schools, said: "Normally when a boys' school goes co-ed (includes girls), there's a cynical view that they need to do it either to keep the numbers up or because academic standards are dipping. But in this case this is demonstrably not true. It remains one of the most academically high-flying schools in the country and is many times oversubscribed."