Abingdon School case studies (20)

Impact of partnership work done in 2019 (ISC annual Census 2020)

• 50 state schools involved
• 500+ state school pupils involved
• 2700 staff hours given

*Please note, data shown here is from the 2020 Census for partnerships in 2019, rather than from the 2021 Census. This is due to the impact of COVID-19 on full year collection for 2021. The coronavirus pandemic has forced many schools to put some partnership projects on hold until restrictions are eased.

Impact Statement

A partnership scheme with Fitzharrys, a local maintained sector school, was formally launched in September 2014. The aim is for staff and students from both schools to work together to develop innovative practice and to share and broaden their experience in order to improve teaching and learning. During the academic year 2017-18 6th form students from Abingdon and Fitzharrys have worked in groups to plan and deliver elements of the year 8 curriculum in maths and the sciences to year 8 students from both schools. Student numbers involved in this included 15 Abingdon 6th formers and 12 Fitzharrys 6th formers as well as 17 Abingdon year 8 pupils and 22 Fitzharrys year 8 pupils.
Beyond the Fitzharrys partnership there are numerous examples of Abingdon’s teachers and sports staff sharing their knowledge and Abingdon’s resources with local maintained sector schools and clubs. Examples include organising academic lectures and sports competitions such as festivals of rugby and a primary school mini-Olympics morning. In addition, we provide Latin teaching to children from three local secondary schools with three groups in succession now having completed a two-year GCSE course with twice-weekly one-hour lessons from members of the Classics department: of the last cohort 80% of the candidates achieved A stars. A new cohort, currently of fifteen students, has just begun their two-year course.
As part of the liaison programme with local maintained sector primary schools there were a series of curriculum events held at Abingdon School in 2017-18. A Business Challenge, Festive Fun with Languages morning, Pottery Throwdown and Mini-Olympics took place. Approximately 70 children and 10 teachers attended each of these events. Transport was arranged from their primary schools to Abingdon School and the activities were run by Abingdon School teachers and departments.
Since 2015/16 there has been a design and technology outreach programme developed with a local primary school to support and further their teaching and learning of KS1 and KS2 topics. The projects are developed by an Abingdon School D&T teacher bespoke to their current topic and age group. The projects are either delivered to the pupils at their school or using Abingdon School’s D&T workshops, where the children have been introduced to using some of the tools. Some of the projects, typically delivered in the summer term, have been assisted by our sixth form D&T students.
Furthermore 15 staff (13 last year) serve as governors of local maintained primary and secondary schools and Abingdon is happy to release these teachers to complete their governance duties when those commitments fall at times when the teachers would usually be in school.