Project Co-Sponsorship

Berkhamsted School is co-sponsor of Wren Academy (Barnet). Berkhamsted School is an independent school in Hertfordshire operating a diamond structure, being formed of co-educational Prep schools and a Pre-Prep, a Boys’ School and Girls’ School for pupils aged 11 to 16 years, and a co-educational Sixth Form. Berkhamsted School was founded in 1541 and celebrated its 475th anniversary in 2015-16.

Established in 2008, Wren Academy is a Multi Academy Trust (MAT), co-sponsored by the London Diocesan Board for Schools LDBS and Berkhamsted Schools Group. Wren Finchley is an all through school with over 1400 students aged between four and 18.

Wren Academy Enfield, a new secondary school was then opened in 2020 and will grow each year until reaching its capacity in 2026 with over 1200 students. 

Both schools have established excellent reputations for delivering high quality education and achieving excellent academic results within a caring and supportive community.

The Principal of Berkhamsted School, is one of the Wren Academies Trust’s Trustees, as is the former COO at Berkhamsted School: they are responsible for ensuring that all schools in the MAT are successful by setting ethos, culture and vision, making decisions about policy and strategy, overseeing and scrutinising organisational performances and ensuring accountability.

 Members of the Berkhamsted Schools Executive Team are provided as governors for each of the Wren school's Local Governing Bodies.

Wren and Berkhamsted have forged an innovative and successful partnership between the state and independent sectors. 

Aims

As co-sponsor, Berkhamsted aims to provide resources and expertise to assist Wren Academy to deliver extension programmes to their most able students and to provide facilities for the use of Wren Academy’s pupils. Students and staff of Wren Academy and Berkhamsted School should benefit from working with each other, giving students and staff collaborative opportunities, and in so doing seeks to offer them experiences outside their own locality and school environment. 

Resources

Berkhamsted provides 2 trustees to the board of the MAT, 1 member of the Wren Finchley LGB, 2 members of the Wren Enfield LGB, and staff from both organisations work closely together in many areas. 

Impact

The following examples of our shared work demonstrate the impact and reach of this partnership: 

We have offered extensive help and advice to the senior management team (including in relation to Wren’s conversion into a Multi Academy Trust) and to Heads of Department. Wren Academy pupils visit to use our facilities (e.g. High Ropes course) and have also been rolling out the Mini-MBA programme that Berkhamsted developed in conjunction with Ashridge-Hult Business School. 

During the Summer Wren Academy pupils attend the Berkhamsted site for 3 days to make use of various facilities such as Fives courts, swimming pool, dark room, chapel and camping for the Duke of Edinburgh award. 

Berkhamsted staff have provided advice on curriculum and university interview training whilst the two sets of staff have collaborated on “Building Learning Power” which has been at the heart of Wren’s teaching and learning for some time, to encourage its students to become resourceful, resilient and questioning learners. In addition, we have shared prefect training activities. 

Pupil Involvement

In addition to the activities highlighted above there have also been student exchanges so that each may sample life in the respective schools. 

Frequency

This is an ongoing co-sponsorship arrangement so many activities will be repeated annually and new ones will be introduced as appropriate.