What is the point of an all through school?

Notre Dame School Cobham, of which I have recently become the Prep Head, has embarked on a new era by becoming one school for pupils aged 2 to 18. We are now taking girls straight through one school from Nursery to University. Although there have been two schools on this site for over fifty years the schools have this year merged to make fuller use of resources, expertise and leadership in depth.

By happy coincidence in today’s Guardian there is an article about partnerships between primary and secondary schools http://www.guardian.co.uk/teacher-network/teacher-blog/2013/may/08/collaboration-primary-secondary-schools-working-together?CMP=twt_gu which underlines the benefits of primary and secondary practitioners working alongside each other for the good of pupils.

The first obvious benefit is the use of shared facilities, which for us has been possible for some time as we share one beautiful site, but now will be timetabled together by the Heads to allow for greater flexibility. Introduction of new subjects such as food technology for older juniors also becomes possible through shared staff, and can also offer an early start to senior school languages and other subjects where cross phase teaching becomes available.

One of the greatest benefits is the community of practice that can develop when teachers working with different age groups can come together to discuss issues and solutions to teaching conundrums – and also help to develop schemes of work and models of good learning for, and with, each other. Trust in a learning community always engenders better experiences for pupils, especially when the style and history of education, curricula and learning objectives are fully open and understood as the child passes into each new phase. Training for staff can be geared to the needs of subjects, departments or to the whole school as pupils are enabled to build upon their primary school foundations and to achieve greater success in their futures. Resources and buildings can be utilised to the maximum and older and younger pupils can benefit from learning alongside each other for particular projects, such as reading to a class or sharing a celebration.

In some environments primary teachers believe that senior teachers are only interested in examination success in their subjects and don’t have a holistic view of education. In some schools secondary teachers believe that primary teachers play all day and that education proper begins aged eleven. Not so in my own school where collaboration and shared understanding are beginning to lead to better planning across the whole school and to create dialogue between clever and reflective professionals. This will have a positive impact on achievement for all pupils, who can be known and valued as they grow and develop throughout their school careers. 

  

Of course this all takes time and energy; however a good school will easily understand that this shared endeavour, which in our case is underpinned by 400 years of good practice (as part of a worldwide foundation) and an educational project that is uncompromising in seeking the best for all of our pupils, is worthwhile. Joining two into one, like a thoughtful and loving marriage, or even a sword and ploughshare, certainly creates something for our pupils which is far greater than the sum of its parts.