POWER OF PARTNERSHIPS
The Power of Partnerships Benenden celebrates its relationship with a local academy What makes a great school? It is a question on many people’s minds: parents, pupils, teachers and government ministers all seek an answer to this elusive question. At Benenden School we have realised that one essential ingredient in that unique recipe for a great school is partnerships. Benenden is an all-girls boarding school in Kent, providing a complete education for 550 boarders. A few miles up the road, a failing comprehensive in Ashford was under threat of being closed due to a whole range of factors. Serving a potentially challenging community with hitherto low expectations and no Sixth Form, let alone university entrants, Christchurch School was deemed to be failing in its challenge to realise the potential of the community. Benenden was one of four sponsors which supported the school’s rebirth as The John Wallis Church of England
Academy. Under the inspirational leadership of John McParland and with the energetic guidance of four sponsors, Benenden included, John Wallis began a meteoric rise from failing school to school of choice for the town, with a thriving Sixth Form, large numbers of university entrants and frequent applicants to Oxbridge. Benenden has played – and continues to play – a key role in that transformation with Charles Covell chairing both
56 | EDUCATION CHOICES MAGAZINE | S P R I N G 2 02 2
Benenden School Council and the governing body of the academy for several years. Peer mentoring of the academy’s Year 11 students quickly became a fixture of the relationship which grew and grew. Collaborations emerged organically across academic departments, leadership, cocurricular activities, teacher training and finance. Joint Geography field trips, a shared trip to the Large Hadron Collider and a burgeoning Combined Cadet Force were just some of the highlights. Departmental opportunities flourished and what began as Benenden sponsoring the new school soon morphed into a partnership of equals defined by the reciprocal benefit enjoyed by all. While many schools engage in marquee events to fulfil outreach ambitions, this was a genuine relationship based on trust and a mutual vision of the betterment of all. Covid brought new challenges and the use of Microsoft Teams and technical collaboration allowed for mentoring to continue, and for the academy to offer virtual lessons well beyond the reach of many comparable schools. The experience acted as a catalyst for Benenden to engage in an ever-increasing outwardlooking model; volunteering programmes ambitiously overcame the logistical challenges of being a rural school to reach out to an ever-growing range of venues. The partnership with John Wallis has added far more than we can have imagined, and we cannot wait to see what comes next. The principal lesson learnt was that reciprocal partnerships are a key factor in what makes a great school. ALFRED NICOL www.benenden.school
