CONFEDERATION OF AUSTWICK CE (VA), CLAPHAM CE (VC) & HORTON-IN-RIBBLESDALE CE (VA) PRIMARY SCHOOLS

Mountains or music – children from our three schools come together to achieve!

Our partnership is now entering its second year, and it seems an appropriate time to report and reflect upon the benefits and achievements we have seen throughout 2010, while also looking ahead to the future.

The confederation is a formal partnership, agreed by the governing bodies of the three schools, to share a head teacher and work together for the benefit of all the children.

Many people within the communities give our schools tremendous support. We really appreciate the enthusiasm of the parents and families who help us in many ways, including their work through the PTAs and Friends organisations. The churches, including members of the congregations, church leaders and related organisations, the Parish Councils and other groups within the villages prioritise the work of their local schools and we are grateful for all the support and encouragement that comes in our three directions!

• Representatives of each Governing Body meet to share confederation matters. In addition, I meet the Assistant Head Teachers every month to discuss issues that concern us all and which relate to development of collaborative activities

• The staff of the three schools share training and work together as appropriate
• We are working on developing the ethos of the confederation and of each school. We aim to promote Christian values and understanding throughout all aspects of school life
• One of the highlights of last term was the Ingleborough walk. All the children aged 7 - 10 from the three schools reached the summit before lunch: this was an incredible achievement. For many of the children it was first time they had climbed a mountain, and to do so with new friends from the other local villages made it very special indeed. A photographer from the Times Educational Supplement went along with us, and the children appeared in the centre spread of that national newspaper. Yorkshire Dales National Park and English Heritage supported our venture.
• I lead a Confederation Orchestra, which is fully inclusive and non-selective. This gives children in our small schools the opportunity to meet their friends and to play together in a musical, context and it is a lovely way to share our talents. The orchestra includes flute, saxophone, guitar, recorder, piano accordion, drums, percussion, piano and trumpet and meets for a half term in each school in turn. The children are choosing the music they would like me to arrange for them, and this ranges from Schubert to Status Quo!
• A football club for the confederation was very kindly run by former teacher John Anderton. The children loved it: they had the chance to play with a larger group of enthusiastic footballers than is normally experienced in a small school session.
• John Anderton followed up his football club with a gymnastics club taking place indoors during the dark winter evenings. Children of all ages attend the club, learning and refining their gymnastic skills with growing confidence.
• Shared sports activities have benefited the children from our small schools, and there have been opportunities to enter tournaments with a combined team. The work of the football club was particularly useful, leading to children from different schools forming a team with friends they had got to know through sport.
• In March our Year 4 children will be coming together to share two days in a Dales barn with West Yorkshire children, sharing experiences and having fun in Christian fellowship. This will also bring an opportunity to share a residential visit with Eastwood School, Keighley, which has strong links with Horton School.
• Key Stage 2 children from all three schools will be visiting the Water Treatment Plant near Clapham. I have been to see work at the site and was given a tour of the facilities that will be explored by the children: I’m sure that the visit will be exciting and stimulating. Yorkshire Water are very keen to involve us in their work and have set up activity packs for schools. This also gives us an opportunity to plan curriculum activities as a confederation.

Of course, educational standards, care and safeguarding of the children and day to day priorities within each school are at the heart of what we all prioritise.

High standards were achieved throughout 2010 in all the schools, and out teaching staff work very hard to maintain and to build upon these standards. We have excellent teaching and non-teaching staff, whose dedication to caring for the children and maintaining standards is remarkable.

Brian Beresford, February 2011