I now understand that my old school was designed for an archetypical boy and that girls, and boys of a less sporty bent, were poorly served.
The pendulum has swung and most schools now seem to be designed for girls the assumption being that boys and girls are the same and what is good for girls will be good for boys. I do not believe this is true although it is very hard to separate nature and nurture. The difference is apparent at an early age.
I don’t think there can be any doubt that, with a few notable exceptions, boys were treated much more harshly than girls. Whether that disadvantaged them is another matter. By being allowed to do much as they pleased, many girls lost out on achieving their potential and ended up in dead end, menial, jobs until they got married.