Berwick Schools Consultation

 

 

 

Following on from the recent consultation report on the future of education in Berwick, I wanted to write to you to explain in more detail why we at St Cuthbert's support the two-tier model of education and try to explain our reasons as clearly as possible to you.

 

Firstly I want to make clear that we will never be disparaging about any other school in the partnership no matter what their view point and we respect the fact that everyone has different opinions.  As a school we are lucky in the fact that in both models set out in the consultation report, our school is safe and not at risk of closure. 

 

I want to set out clearly for you, our families, why we wish to adopt the two-tier model of education and become a primary school, educating your children until the end of Year 6.

 

1. Most importantly; we want to be able to provide Catholic education to your children for longer.  Even though many of you are not Catholic, I hope you appreciate the 'extra' that your child receives in our school.  Through the deep spiritual side we provide in prayer, worship & the catholic life of our school, including Christmas nativities and all of those little extras that they would remain to the end of Year 6 in a primary setting.
2. The education system in England is set out as follows;

- Early Years; ages 3-5 years; nursery & reception
- Key Stage 1; ages 5-7 years;  Years 1 & 2
- Key Stage 2;  ages 7-11 years; Years 3 - 6
- Key Stage 3;  ages 11-14 years;  Years 7 - 9
- Key Stage 4;  ages 14-16 years;  Years 10 & 11
- Sixth Form;  ages 16-18 years;  Years 12 & 13

 

We feel children should stay in the same school for each part of the stage they are in (as they do across most of the rest of the country).  Teachers are able to teach, develop and nurture the children throughout the particular stage they are in from beginning to end if the system is set up in a two-tier model that supports this approach.  This is also particularly important when it comes to preparing children for their SATS which occur in a primary school at the end of Year 2 and the end of Year 6 - it would be beneficial to children to have the same teaching team from the beginning to the end of these journeys.  Likewise for GCSE preparation from Year 7 onwards in a secondary education with specialist teachers in each subject from Year 7 upwards.

 

3.  Teachers are trained to teach in either; the Primary Phase of education: Early years (nursery & reception) & Key Stage 1 (years 1 - 6) or the Secondary Phase of education (years 7-11).  Becoming primary/secondary would give teaching staff the opportunities to teach across the age range they have trained to teach in and ensure at secondary school your children received specialist teaching across all subjects by teachers trained to teach their specialist subject.

 

4. We are ready for two-tier!  Our 'sunshine room' (that used to be the old kitchen) is an empty classroom waiting for a year 5/6 class to fill it!!  Resources such as; tables and chairs etc are all that is needed and I know our Trust would support us with ensuring we are well equipped.

 

5. Yes, transition to a secondary school at Year 7 would have to be well planned, but we are a dedicated team of staff who would ensure that this move was done very carefully and closely with the high school.  From a personal perspective there are 4 members of staff working in St Cuthbert's who have children currently at Berwick Academy and we are all very happy with the education and experiences our children are having there, we agree this is a rapidly improving school.  

 

As I said earlier, we realise we are fortunate in that St Cuthbert's is not at risk of closing - we remain stable in both models but as this vitally important decision looms we feel for the reasons set out above, the two-tier model will secure better outcomes for the children of Berwick for years to come.

 

On a separate note we support a real investment into an expansion of the Grove special school which is over-subscribed and needs to be part of the plan for the local authority moving forward in order to continue the amazing provision they provide for families across Berwick and the support they offer all of the partnership schools, including the support they are always willing to give to St Cuthbert's.

 

I hope this is helpful to you and if you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me.

 

Response of Governing Body

 

We, the governors of St Cuthbert’s Catholic First School unanimously and firmly support the two-tier model of education and wish to become a primary school providing high quality education for children from Early Years to the end of Key Stage Two when they would transfer to Secondary School, which is the pattern for most of the rest of the country.

As the education system in England is organized around key stages it follows that logically school organization should be too as this ensures that pupils can complete each entire key stage in one school, with only one point of transition. The two-tier system also ensures that pupils are taught by subject specialists from Year 7 onwards, providing them with a challenging curriculum and expertise in preparation for GCSE and beyond. We believe that this is conducive to the raising of standards, which is what we are all aiming for.

Becoming a Primary School would allow us the continue to cherish and nurture our pupils right up to the age of 11 and to prepare them for secondary education ourselves. Having only one point of transition would lessen the danger of lost learning, especially as there would not be breaks in the middle of Key Stages.

Obviously we are very keen to be able to provide two more years in a Catholic school allowing us to help our children to further develop their spiritual lives and understanding about their Catholic cultural heritage before they leave us for secondary school.

 

Barbara Simpson

Chair of Governors

St Cuthbert's Catholic First School

Berwick-Upon-Tweed

Response from the Trustees of Bishop Bewick Catholic Education Trust

 

Bishop Bewick Catholic Education Trust is committed to supporting St Cuthbert’s Catholic First school in its desire to offer full primary provision to the families of Berwick. There are three main reasons behind this decision.

Firstly, our Trust believes that the educational opportunities provided for children are better within a two-tier system, where there is expert curriculum delivery from Year 7 and only one point of transition between the curricula provided at primary school and moving onto secondary provision.  Subject specialist teachers are able to ensure that all children have access to a challenging and exciting curriculum, where the expert subject knowledge of teachers will enthuse and stretch the learning of students, preparing them more readily for GCSE and Post 16 qualifications. Put simply, children can be taught by experts in languages, Science, Maths and Humanities.  High quality facilities in the Arts, Music and P.E. are more readily available from a younger age.   In a three-tier system, there is more chance of lost learning where there is less access to subject expertise or experience of delivering GCSE qualifications.  There may not be secure knowledge of curriculum sequencing between KS3 and KS4 and so opportunities to make these vital links may be impacted.  Teachers in 11-18 education are more likely to understand the composite elements of curriculum from Year 7 through to Year 13 and seize opportunities to build on learning rapidly and ensure maximum progress across a wide suite of subject areas.  As a Trust, we recognise that our children from St Cuthbert’s are likely to move to Berwick Academy.  We will work closely with the High School to share our KS2 curriculum provision to support their teachers to build upon the curriculum provision from Year 6.

Secondly, our Trust believes that moving to a two-tier system will provide students with a more seamless social transition to High School.  It is clear from our experience across our five high schools that Year 7 students benefit from the role models provided by Years 11-13.  The maturity and aspiration shown for learning, sets a great example for younger students of what can be achieved through working hard at school and aspiring for their futures.  Prefect and mentor systems can be used effectively to support younger learners, helping them navigate through some of the most common aspects of the teenage years and early adolescence.

For children with SEND, we know that transition points can also be high risk for children with additional vulnerabilities.  Therefore, reducing these moves will lessen the issues faced by these children.   They will have more time to forge relationships with key adults in their primary school along with their peers.  The process of transition to secondary will be more effective as a result of the deeper knowledge acquired of specific needs, the child’s progress through KS1 and KS2 and what has worked best to support them.

Finally, as a faith Trust, we are clear that extra years within a Catholic school will help our children to develop their own sense of spirituality and a sense of their uniqueness and importance to the world around them.  We will work with the High school in Berwick to ensure there are opportunities for further development in this area as the children leave for their secondary education.

 Anita Bath

 Chief Executive - Bishop Bewick Catholic Education Trust