When it comes down to making a selection, the choice between single-sex or co-educational won't be the only factor in the final decision on where to educate your child. Once they reach junior school level other important issues such as location, facilities, class size, curriculum and what senior schools they feed into are also important.

At secondary or senior level, the choice becomes more pressing, fuelled by speculation, and at times misconceptions, about the success rate of girls over boys. In some cases, the destination of a school's leavers may be one of the most important parts of the decision making process.

School league tables are often very misleading when it comes to a school's requirements of its pupils. A common false impression is that single-sex schools out perform their co-education rivals. Research and studies have shown that there is no conclusive evidence for this. Nor is there any outstanding data suggesting boys perform better in one arena while girls flourish strongly in another.

Supporters of single-sex education often argue that pupils are able to focus on their work and extra-curricular activities to a greater degree than they would if they were in a mixed school, where there are more opportunities for distraction and competitiveness of a non-academic kind.

Single-sex critics counter this argument by pointing out that a pupil's personal development should not be affected by an overriding desire to achieve the highest marks available. The need to integrate with the opposite sex from an early age is an important factor of any child's human development.

The world is co-educational so why should schools be any different? School is about preparing to live in the real world where men and women live and work alongside each other. In a co-educational school pupils become used to understanding, working and communicating with the opposite sex.

But most single-sex schools maintain strong links with each other and regularly collaborate in the creation of drama productions, music concerts and general studies. Single-sex schools find that this method is often the best way of involving and introducing their pupils to life with the opposite sex without distracting them from their studies.

It is not uncommon for pupils to be happy to remain in single-sex education; they feel comfortable and concede that they can concentrate more fully on their academic work.

The most recent ISCis/MORI survey looking at the important factors parents want in a school, places class size, discipline, quality of teaching and the general feel of the school and its capacity to fulfil their child's potential ahead of whether it is single-sex of co-educational. The most frequently administered advice to parents is to always visit as many schools as possible, preferably including your child in these visits.

Ultimately, it is his or her individual needs that should be the most vital overriding factor in the decision.