CHEERS erupted in the assembly hall last week when it was announced that an East Lancashire boys-only grammar school would start admitting girls from age seven upwards.

Although Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, Blackburn, has taken girls into its sixth form since 1979, the move to full co-education is a landmark decision which ends nearly 500 years of single-sex teaching.

Reporter PAUL BARRY asked the boys how their education and social lives might change.

HAVING girls in school will be a welcome relief for 12-year-old Tobias Yates -- he has had just about enough of getting in touch with his feminine side.

"I always seem to end up being the girl in school plays," protested the 12-year-old, as a classmate gave him a playful ribbing about how well he acted the part.

But leaving aside school productions, the boys believe that girls will play a crucial role in educational and social life after Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School switches to full co-education in September 2001.

Headmaster Dr David Hempsall believes that the academic performance of boys will improve with girls around. When the announcement was made he said: "Co-education is the best preparation for our young people's future success."

School development director Phil Lloyd believes most of the necessary facilities for girls are already in place -- although more changing rooms and adapted sex education programmes may be necessary.

Boys who do not mix with girls at school sometimes lack the social skills they need to understand the opposite sex -- and that could mean getting a knock-back when asking a girl on a date, according to Nicholas Levey, 11.

Nicholas feels some satisfaction at the governors' decision. Although the school has been considering co-education for several years, Nicholas believes the governors have vindicated his decision to press for girl admissions through the first year student council. He said: "It should be a lot more of a laugh with girls around. I went to a co-educational primary school, which was more fun than here in some ways because we had mixed sex games and that sort of thing.

"You've got to learn how to get on with girls, otherwise when you go on to college it will be a big shock having them around. You need to know how to get them to go out with you. I think you have to be subtle if you want to ask a girl out and some people from boys' schools don't know how to talk to girls."

It isn't just the possibility of getting a girlfriend which excites Nicholas -- he thinks it is high time the school adapted to the realities of the 21st century.

He said: "Our school has being going for nearly 500 years. In all that time it has only had boys and the only reason is because of tradition. But 500 years ago, a woman couldn't get a job. She probably had to stay at home.

"Since then, we have had a woman Prime Minister, women have gained equal rights and they have got just about all the opportunities that men have. The school is only just catching up with the outside world."

The school expects to see a modest rise in pupil numbers but will not be changing its entrance criteria. QEGS does not have a fixed number of new pupils every year but aims to admit all who clear the selection hurdles.

Nicholas thinks this approach will raise test scores. He said: "I think test scores will go up. At the moment if there are 120 boys in a year, some are very brainy and some are not so clever. If girls come too, then the school could take the 60 brainiest girls in Blackburn and the 60 brainiest boys." Mr Lloyd believes the school already has most of the facilities it will need to accommodate girls. There are ladies' toilets throughout the main building, a legacy from the days before the sixth-formers had their own building. The school is likely to review changing facilities at its sports pavilion in Lammack, to improve them for pupils and female staff.

"Any new facilities will be part of a rolling programme to benefit all pupils. We don't want a situation where the girls have gold-plated taps in their toilets and the boys don't see any change," said Mr Lloyd.

There will only be modest changes to the school's sex education. Mr Lloyd said that the overall programme was unlikely to change other than to include girls' issues.

Chris Burton and Liam McArdle, both 13, believe they would have been more confident talking to girls during a recent school trip to Italy if they mixed with girls in school.

Chris said: "I am pretty excited about it, although some pupils knew that these plans were being considered." Liam said: "It gets a bit boring talking to boys all the time." Liam still socialises with girls from his primary school and said he felt quite comfortable in their company. He said: "I am quite excited that girls will be coming, but we don't know how many will be in our year because we will be starting our GCSEs when the school starts taking girls."

The boys already come into contact with sixth form girls on prefect duty but say it is hard to strike up conversation with girls who aren't their own age.

Tobias said: "Some of the boys in our year shouted out loud when the news was announced because they had asked their year council to press for girls to be admitted.

"My parents think it is a good idea because families would have the chance to send all their children to the same school."

Liam said there were some parents who chose QEGS for their sons because of the single-sex teaching. But Nicholas said: "Parents who do that are holding their children back. Having girls here will help boys learn what they need to know in the outside world."

Picture: QEGS boys (from left) Chris Burton, Liam McAedle, Tobias Yates and Nicholas Levey look forward to mixing with female pupils next year.