Winchester College is considering admitting girls after more than 600 years as a single sex school.

The college's governing body and the head master, Dr Ralph Townsend, have set up a committee to consider in detail the question of whether or not girls should be admitted.

If the idea is adopted they will examine in what way and when this revolutionary change should come about.

A college statement said: "It is essential to consider this matter as an issue of educational principle and in the in the interests of the school's strategic future."

Before joining Winchester last September, Dr Townsend was head of the largest co-educational boarding school in the country, Oundle, for six years.

He has been credited with raising that school's academic and cultural standards and its national profile.

The committee, chaired by Old Wykhamist, Dr John Nightingale, a fellow of Magdalen College, Oxford, includes prefects, representatives from the staff and parents.

Parents and Old Wykehamists have until May 31 to write to Dr Nightingale at Winchester College with their views.

Winchester has 670 boys on roll and fees for boarding are £23,500 a year. Winchester's independent school for girls, St Swithun's, has 480 pupils and fees of £19,530.

The two establishments have had close links for many years.

Dr Helen Harvey, the headmistress, said: "We were naturally aware of the deliberations about admitting girls, but we remain fully committed to the benefits of single sex education and believe that it confers significant advantages on the girls."

She pointed to the growing body of evidence demonstrating the different needs of boys and girls in terms of their learning styles, the things which motivate them, and the environment in which they can best flourish and develop their full potential.

"We have developed considerable expertise and knowledge of what works best for girls," she said.

"Were boys to join St Swithun's, I know that we would have to consider very carefully how we would change our practice to accommodate and properly serve their needs."

* WINCHESTER College has confirmed that six of its students were caught using cannabis earlier this month.

The youngsters, who are studying for their GCSEs and have not been named, would normally be dismissed under the school's rules.

However, the pupils' parents have decided to withdraw them from the school.

The college said the youngsters were still taking their GCSE exams under "special arrangements".

The college did not enlarge on exactly how the exams would be conducted.

They also declined to comment on the age of the pupils and whether they would be allowed to join the college's sixth form.