Weekly partnership between Monkton Combe and St Martin's Garden Primary

A weekly partnership started in September 2024 with groups of Monkton Year 12 pupils volunteering at St Martin's Garden Primary. This involved reading, taking sporting activities, playing games, and helping improve learning spaces. 

The involvement continues you in 2025 and the aim is to keep it going in years to come. The whole of Year 12 will volunteer at St Martin's Garden Primary, each for half a term.

Aims

To provide mutual benefit for Monkton and St Martin's pupils through their interaction with each other, and to have a meaningful impact on both groups.

Background

The need for strengthening partnership that was beneficial to both schools was mutually identified, by Monkton's Head of Partnerships and St Martin's Head of special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). 

This is a new partnership for 2024/5 and we hope it will be ongoing.

Resources

Two Monkton teachers accompany our pupils each week. 

For any practical work, such as gardening, we take tools and equipment. 

Impact

This partnership has been hugely beneficial for both groups of pupils.

Monkton pupils have learned from the teachers at St Martins, discovered new skills and gained from the interaction with younger pupils.

St Martin's pupils have enjoyed learning and building rapport with older pupils. Feedback from one class teacher: "Even our most reluctant readers are keen to read with them and it has been lovely to see such positive role models in our class."

Monkton pupils have also helped improve outdoor spaces around the school, which has included building raised beds and helping tidy classrooms, so enhancing the learning environment for St Martin's pupils and staff.

Pupil Involvement

Groups of 10-15 Monkton Year 12 pupils go to St Martin's in their weekly enrichment slot. All Monkton Year 12 pupils will take part over the academic year. 

We are working with every year group (primary) at St Martin's.

Frequency

Weekly, for a year.