Our work as a partnership of schools is driven by the genuine desire to share, collaborate and learn from and with one another. For a partnership to be effective, there needs to be real purpose and impact. This may be helping young people realise their ambitions for university, inspiring an interest in a subject, or simply helping children to enjoy learning; this is what enriches what we do as teachers.
In 2018 we became a founding member of the Oundle, Peterborough and East Northants (OPEN) Learning Partnership. Alongside Laxton Junior School and four schools from the maintained sector (Thomas Deacon Academy, Kettering Buccleuch Academy, Prince William School and Oundle CE Primary School), as well as our tertiary partner, Imperial College London, the OPEN Learning Partnership aims to increase opportunity, raise aspirations and allow the sharing of best practice between schools.
Through our connections with these schools, our pupils are able to develop a broader life experience and to be challenged by the skills and talents of those that they work alongside. All such opportunities rely on connections with organisations and people across many different communities.
The Greenpower Engineering Project is an Open LP collaboration, with pupils building an electric vehicle and competing in the Greenpower competition.
Inter-school competitions and events include balloon debating, creative writing, modern languages and photography. Joint art exhibitions, all open to the public, also take place annually.
Careers and university preparation is supported across all partnership schools, with Oundle offering specific Medicine and Oxbridge interview preparation for UCAS applications.
OPEN Mathematical Enrichment Conferences (OMEC) events run three times a year for able and interested mathematicians ranging from Year 5 to Year 10.
A STEM Challenge initiative between Oundle and Thomas Deacon Academy for Year 9 pupils takes place each year.
Continuing Professional Development opportunities include training seminars and lesson observations across schools.
A successful £20,000 bid for DfE funding, matched by OPEN LP partners, has supported a STEM resource library accessible to any school and teacher training to support teachers delivering GCSE and A level Physics.
A Summer STEM Festival includes day visits and residentials for 400+ children, alongside STEM stage shows across the region.
This is a partnership of partnerships whereby speakers and resources are shared with local area partnerships across the country in order to give as many children as possible a richer and broader educational experience than they would otherwise have access to. The Patron of ExpertEd LIVE is Professor Lord Robert Winston and our founding Supporters are: Imperial College London, Swansea University, ACS, Harrow School, Shrewsbury School and five Multi-Academy Trusts.
The ExpertEd LIVE programme offers:
To find out more about the OPEN Learning Partnership, ExpertEdLive or any of our partnership work, please contact Gordon Montgomery, Deputy Head Partnerships and Outreach.
