INDEPENDENT/STATE SCHOOL PARTNERSHIPS FORUM

Mr Eric Wood - Chairman County Education Officer Warwickshire Education Department	Mrs Marion Gibbs Headmistress James Allen's Girls' School, London
Mr Graham Badman Strategic Director, Education and Libraries Kent County Council	Mrs Cynthia Hall Headmistress School of St Helen & St Katherine, Oxfordshire
Dr Jill Clough Principal East Brighton College of Media Arts	Dr Tim Hands Headmaster Portsmouth Grammar School
Ms Maureen Cruickshank Headteacher The Beauchamp College, Leicester	Mrs Pat Langham Headmistress Wakefield Girls’ High School
Mrs Irene Dalton Headteacher Wombwell High School Barnsley	Mr Frank Morgan Secretary Association of Governing Bodies of Independent Schools
Mr Keith Davies Headteacher Tidbury Green Primary School, Solihull	Mr Chris Parker Headmaster Nottingham High School
Miss Barbara Hall Headteacher Sandon High School, Stoke-on-Trent	Mrs Jean Scott Chairman Independent Schools Council
Mr John McLeod Chief Education Officer Wakefield Metropolitan Borough Council	Dr Martin Stephen High Master Manchester Grammar School
Mr Alan Stockley Headteacher Landywood Primary School, Staffordshire	Mrs Lesley Watson Headmistress St Mary's Westbrook, Folkestone

Other Organisations Represented

National College for School Leadership

Secondary Heads Association

National Association of Headteachers

General Teaching Council

Confederation of Education Service Officers

OFSTED

Learning & Skills Council

Catholic Education Service in England and Wales

Church of England Board of Education

HSBC Education Trust

Ogden Trust

Sutton Trust

Youth Sport Trust

‘Bright Sparks’

The Partners
The Hammond School, Hoole All Saints Infant School and other Cheshire primary schools.

The Project
The 'Bright Sparks' project is providing Saturday morning workshops for able and talented pupils in Mathematics, Science and ICT. It also aims to develop guidance and recommendations for setting up similar projects as well as establish systems for tracking able pupils. The project features on-going support for participating and other able pupils and seeks to encourage closer involvement of all participating local schools.

The Benefits
The project has led to a close working relationship between the two schools and between teachers from the two sectors who have a common interest and enthusiasm. They have gained greater knowledge of Key Stages outside those that they normally work in, as well as considerable understanding of the needs of able children. The partnership hopes that their guidance (www.brightsparks.uk.net) will help other potential groups to set up similar schemes. They have identified a need to support able and gifted children and hope that this will happen in a more organised way both locally and nationally.

Hammond's older pupils, who have helped with the project, have gained considerably from working with adults and children. The responses of children, parents, course deliverers and all involved have supported the fact that this has been a hugely worthwhile project. They hope it will feed into the increasing knowledge of how to support and extend able pupils.

Polly Dangerfield, one of the project co-ordinators, said:

"All involved in the Bright Sparks project have gained in so many ways. The feedback we have had from children and parents have indicated the importance of the master classes and the benefits they have given to the children.

We have thoroughly enjoyed the experience of the two schools working together. I hope that what we have learnt will be valuable to others; it certainly has been to us. The experience and knowledge we have gained will help both schools in the future and we hope to continue to build on the close relationship we have established."

Contact
Polly Dangerfield (Head of Hammond School) - Telephone: 01244 305350

The Hammond School is a member of the Music and Dance Scheme. If you would like further information about this scheme, please use the hyperlink below.

Loughborough Grammar Partnership

The Partners
Loughborough Grammar School, Rendell Primary School, Mountfields Lodge Primary School, and all other Loughborough Primary Development Group schools

The Project
This partnership aims to make better use of resources and facilities to improve learning for all pupils in Mathematics and ICT. The partnership is improving opportunities for more able pupils and is setting up a group to research new resources for able pupils. Teachers also meet regularly to monitor and evaluate the project and share good practice.

The Benefits
The acquisition, as part of the project, of digital camera equipment and “control” software for use in the classroom, has enabled the initiation of more focused activities between the Loughborough Grammar sixth form volunteers and primary pupils. One of the main aims for the future is to develop further legitimate and valid uses of the new technology, and in particular, to permit regular input to the schools’ websites by the pupils themselves.

Delivered by the Loughborough Grammar’s Maths Department, the highly successful series of Maths Masterclasses for more able pupils from all of Loughborough’s primary schools has just completed a second year. Now an accepted part of the schools’ provision, it will run again for a new cohort, and its finale, a Maths Olympics fun-day, is to be repeated “on the road” in several different locations, to make it accessible to more young people. In future the project will make provision for a 5 day conference for Primary Maths co-ordinators, with LEA input, to devise new materials for use in the Masterclasses and in schools.

Hedley Coleman, Headteacher of Rendell Primary School and Chairman of the Loughborough Primary Development Group, said

"It is a project with so many benefits: the pupils enjoy the new activities and are stimulated by the new technology; it helps us to meet the DfES' expectation that every Primary school should develop its own website;
more importantly, the help and support from the Loughborough Grammar sixth formers enables our pupils to be involved in the website development, and to enjoy making a hands-on contribution to its content, which gives them real pride and a sense of achievement in their work."

John Mellors, project organiser at Loughborough Grammar School, said:

"The partnership scheme has encouraged us to set aside our differences and concentrate on working together on a project which benefits pupils, young and old, from all the schools involved, enabling them to develop new interests and skills together and to discover new respect for each other. For teachers it is an enriching experience to work on new projects, and to share expertise with new colleagues."

Contact
John Mellors (French Teacher) - Telephone: 01509 233233

Newcastle-upon-Tyne LEA Partnership

The Partners
Newcastle-upon-Tyne LEA, Royal Grammar School (ind), West Gate Community College, St Cuthbert’s RC High School, Walbottle Campus, Heaton Manor School, Walker Technology College

The Project
This project builds on an existing partnership programme by providing enrichment and extension opportunities for potential A*-A grade pupils and encouraging the most able pupils to take science at GCSE and A level.

The Benefits
The measurable outcomes from this exciting development are the potential for pupils to achieve either a bronze or silver Crest Award and the achievement of a higher level in their investigation work at GCSE.

The benefits are wide but all aim to raise the aspirations of pupils involved. They will be involved in a piece of applied science that they would not see within the normal school curriculum. Pupils will use equipment that would not be available within the normal school environment. They will work with A’ level students with a focus on developing their investigation skills. Throughout this valuable programme, they will have an individual tutor/mentor to guide them through their work.

Other benefits include:

• Meeting other able pupils
• Development of confidence - explicitly commented on by staff in some of the schools involved
• Useful cross-fertilisation of ideas among staff from a variety of schools

The Headmaster of the Royal Grammar School, Mr James Miller, said:

"There is certainly no surfeit of educational resources in the North East, and it is vital that we make the fullest use of what we have - and that means schools from different sectors along with the LEA coming together in partnership in the interests of all."

"If we want to get sufficient able students to read pure or applied sciences at university, we have got to give them the chance of carrying out proper and challenging practical work at a younger age."

The Headteacher of West Gate Community College, Mr J Farnie, said:

"This is a great opportunity for pupils to work with their peers from other schools who have similar abilities and interests in science. We aim to raise achievement and increase opportunities for their future. We want these young people to see both science and higher education as their future and this is our way of raising their aspirations towards achieving this."

Additional Information

Walbottle Campus were the lead organisation in 2001-2002 working in partnership with Royal Grammar School and Walker Technology College. The project involved working with gifted and talented Year 9 and 10 pupils researching, improving knowledge and understanding of the relationships between the individual, local government and the European Union. Due to successfully working together on this project, the schools identified other areas of expertise and set up the above project.

Contact
Gair Hedley (EIC strand co-ordinator) - Tel: 0191 211 5391

Ashton on Mersey Partnership

The Partners
Ashton on Mersey School, in Sale, Manchester, is an 11 to 16 mixed state Secondary Modern School, with Beacon and Sports College Status. Witherslack Hall School, in the Lake District, is an 11 to 16 residential independent school for boys with Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties. Other partners include Trafford Metropolitan Borough Council and Manchester United Football Club.

The Project
In 2000 the partnership was awarded a grant to work on a two-year project aimed at providing access for Ashton on Mersey pupils to high quality residential learning support while Witherslack Hall staff and pupils would benefit from Ashton on Mersey’s expertise in Sport.

The Benefits
Although not yet complete, the project so far has been very successful. Ashton on Mersey staff have benefited from behaviour management training at Witherslack Hall. Senior Ashton on Mersey pupils have worked with Witherslack Hall staff on anti-bullying. These pupils are now Friends Against Bullying, offering support to vulnerable Year 7 and 8 pupils. Joint outdoor pursuit activities and competitive opportunities in football have increased social inclusion for Witherslack Hall pupils. They have also benefited from the introduction of GCSE Physical Education, and participation in the full range of sports, following staff training by Ashton on Mersey. Staff visits to share training and school improvement strategies have become a feature of life at the two schools as part of a self-supporting mechanism.

Tarun Kapur, Headteacher at Ashton on Mersey and project co-ordinator,
says:

"The involvement of coaches, development officers and staff at Manchester United Football Club has been invaluable in this initiative in helping to provide increased levels of motivation and aspirations. The Manchester United experience has been used as a 'carrot' for the boys at Witherslack to improve their behaviour and attitude in addition to improving their skill levels."

Contact
Mr Tarun Kapur (Head of Ashton on Mersey School) - Telephone: 0161 973 1179

Oxfordshire Partnership

Oxfordshire County Council Education Service, Carterton Community College, The Cherwell School, Our Lady's Convent Senior School, Burford School, Sibford School, St Edward's School. Other partners include National Healthy Schools Local Oxfordshire Scheme, Common Purpose (Your Turn Project), Oxford City Education Action Zone, Thames Valley Police, Community Service Volunteers, Young Enterprise, Unipart and Thames Valley Partnership - Schools in Action.

The Project in 2001-2002
In 2001-2002 Oxfordshire County Council Education Service was awarded a grant for its "Young Citizens' Charter Project". Its aim was to provide opportunities for year 9 pupils to develop innovative and active citizenship projects through a partnership involving schools and their communities.

The Benefits
The culmination of the project was the production of a "Young Citizens' Charter" which is an interactive resource, put on the Oxfordshire Broadband Network for use by all Oxfordshire schools.

Karen Marshall, the project co-ordinator, reported:

"The main thing that others could learn from this project is the empowerment of young people. This gives the young people motivation, determination, responsibility, creativity and many other useful skills."

The Project in 2002-2003
In 2002-2003, Oxfordshire County Council Education Service was again awarded a grant to launch its "Young Solutions" project. This takes forward the earlier "Young Citizens Charter" project. It will involve each of the schools participating in 2001-2002 teaming up with another school from the opposite sector. The project will encourage the paired schools to work with existing and new external partners in close co-operation and will aim to further develop the spirit of partnership throughout all schools in the county.

The project focuses on environmental issues and improving community relations. It involves partners such as Oxfordshire County Council Environmental Services, Eco Schools, Waste Watch and Commission for Racial Equality. It includes investigation on recycling, pollution, access to services for young ethnic groups and the cultural implications of leisure activities. The culmination of this project will be the production of "Young Solutions - Oxfordshire Young People's Green Paper on Communities". This will also provide a valuable resource for other schools to use, via the Oxfordshire Broadband Network.

Sustainability
The Oxfordshire Independent/State School Partnership is seeking to gain corporate status which would give it the opportunity to raise funds from sources other than Government to support and sustain future initiatives.

Contact
Anne Raven (School’s Advisor) - Telephone: 01865 428041