Academic partnerships

Academic partnerships are wide-ranging in nature and effectively demonstrate how collaboration between state and independent schools benefits all involved. Where possible, such partnerships moved online during the pandemic as schools took steps to continue these important educational opportunities and minimise learning loss.

Abingdon School, in Oxfordshire, along with Radley College, John Mason School, Larkmead School and Fitzharrys School, developed an online coaching programme between lower sixth students and younger pupils, which saw Year 12 students taking part in four weeks of leadership training with the Oxfordshire Youth charity, followed by three weeks of coaching training by colleagues at Desborough College. Year 9 and 10 students were subsequently paired up with their lower sixth coaches –mainly from another school – and they embarked on a sixweek programme of weekly meetings via Zoom where academic targets were discussed. The success of the partnership – at the end of the programme, more than 85% of participants said they would recommend the project to a peer – has led to its continuation this year.

‘Thinking About’ is a joint project between Dulwich College and the Southwark Schools’Learning Partnership. Through a series of ‘beyond the curriculum ’ live talks and discussions, young people from across the community engage with topics and themes that inspire, complement, and provide real life context to in-class learning. The partnership project’ s webinar format has been particularly beneficial, as it has provided an alternative pathway for the more introverted pupils to get involved. Having heard from a diverse range of speakers - for example, Afrikan Boy talking about music, David Lammy MP discussing identity and Dr Adele Nasti speaking about engineering - schools and pupils have already been coming forward with ideas for future talks.

Building on existing workshops designed around learning recovery and curriculum engagement, Rugby School pupils have launched a series of homework and mentoring clubs to local primary schools. Pupils at the school had already developed and run workshops for more than 200 local primary school pupils in July 2021, including the ‘Veggie Olympics ’ which looked at enzymes and catalysts in biology, and ‘Languages of the Ancient World’ , taking pupils back to an altogether different time. Now, over 100 primary school pupils visit Rugby School each Wednesday afternoon, where they experience curriculum enhancement and catch-up sessions in mathematics, modern languages, art and design, indoor and outdoor sports as well as the sciences. In early 2022 capacity will be expanding further to include sessions in English and humanities subjects.

Among the various academic partnerships Charterhouse takes part in, one project sees the Surrey-based school supporting talented young physicists at partner school Kensington Aldridge Academy. The ongoing initiative involves weekly lessons being delivered to sixth form pupils to enhance their knowledge and enjoyment of physics. Charterhouse has also run extended sessions in its labs, covering travel costs for the visiting pupils and staff.

Through its SHiNE Together programme, Withington Girls’ School has been delivering Saturday morning education courses to local primary school pupils for 13 years. In 2021, 68 boys and girls in years 5 and 6 from nine Manchester maintained primary schools attended one of six online subject courses offered free of charge during the spring term, covering topics such as computing, creative writing and design technology. A survey assessing the impact of this year ’ s activity revealed that 95% of pupils said they had really enjoyed attending SHiNE Together and 98% of pupils said that being part of the programme had made them more confident in that subject.