Keeping boys and girls apart at school allows them to keep their ‘ innocence ’ for much longer , the headmaster of Eton has claimed . Tony Little said children today needed ‘ pretty graphic ’ sex education from just nine years old because of the pressures they encounter day-to-day . But he claimed that children are able to ‘ be themselves ’ until way into their teens if they are kept apart from the other sex . Eton headmaster Tony Little said children today needed ‘ pretty graphic ’ sex education from just nine years old because of the pressures of mixed-sex education . Speaking at an education summit in Dubai , Mr Little said : ‘ What does strike me is that in a single-sex environment , particularly at the age of 13 , 14 , 15 , there is an opportunity for both boys and girls to be themselves for longer . To be 'boyish ' for longer , to be young girls . ‘ One of the real challenges we face as parents and particularly in schools , and this has accelerated in the last few years , is the growing apparent sophistication of children at a younger age . ‘ The need even at the age of nine now , pretty graphic sex education because of the pressures that are being put on girls particularly , from the age 11 and upwards. ’ Eton - the exclusive boarding school attended by David Cameron , Boris Johnson , Prince Harry and the Duke of Cambridge - is an all-boys school which costs £30,000-a-year to attend . Tony Little became the first old-Etonian to take over as headmaster of the school in 50 years after being appointed in 2001 . Mr Little - who was a pupil at Eton Choir School before moving on to Eton with a bursary - has been outspoken in his criticism of education standards . Last year he said exams had not changed much since Victorian times . He said they oblige students 'to sit alone at their desks in preparation for a world in which , for much of the time , they will need to work collaboratively ' . Mr Little also attacked the drive to rank schools , saying : “ There is more to education than league tables '' . He is set to be replaced as the head of Britain 's most famous school by the school 's 38-year-old history teacher Simon Henderson . Mr Henderson is believed to be one of the youngest leaders in the 574-year history of the school , founded in 1440 by King Henry VI . Mr Little , who is due to step down this summer as Eton ’ s headmaster , said it was a ‘ sad thing ’ that sex education is now needed . After 13 years in the post , Mr Little is due to become chief education officer of the GEMS Education network of schools in Europe , the US and Africa . He told the Global Education and Skills Forum : ‘ I guess what I 'm saying is in a single sex environment , you can allow innocence to last a little longer. ’ The head master claimed single sex schools like his ‘ remove some of the pressures ’ from children around sex and relationships . He said : ‘ There are ways of talking about emotional development and about sexuality with single-gender groups , that oddly , and perhaps perversely , can get you further than in co-ed groups. ’ But another headteacher – David Goodhew of the mixed sex private school Latymer Upper School – dismissed the claims . Mr Goodhew , who taught in Eton in the late 1990s , said teaching boys and girls together teaches children to ‘ see each other as friends and “ real people ” rather than fantasy figures from the internet or magazines ’ . He said : ‘ Pupils at co-educational schools spend remarkably little time chasing each other romantically , and quite a lot of time studying hard and excelling in a variety of extra-curricular activities. ’ Last month the Commons Education Select Committee said primary school children should be taught about sex and relationships because of new dangers posed by the internet . MPs on the influential committee said sex education should be made a legal requirement in all schools to equip pupils for life in today ’ s society . In a report , the cross-party group pointed out that children are at a growing risk of harm because of new pressures including sexting , online porn and cyberbullying . They also noted that while many children begin puberty at an early age , some primary schools were only teaching pupils about it at the age of 11 . Under the current system , primary schools do not have to provide sex and relationships education ( SRE ) beyond what is covered in the science curriculum . The select committee ’ s proposals would mean primary schools across the UK would be legally required to provide sex education to all pupils . While the committee did not specify an age at which sex education should start , it could in theory begin at five under their proposals .
Tony Little said single-sex schools allow pupils to keep their ‘ innocence ’ He said it was sad that children were being taught sex education so early . The report also found the number of girls in state primary school had fallen by almost a third since 2010.