A Hampshire secondary school has teamed up with a secondary academy in West Berkshire in a ground-breaking collaboration to drive continued excellence in education.

With effect from 2 September 2019, The Clere School in Burghclere and St Bartholomew’s School in Newbury have begun working in partnership to further improve teaching and learning at each school by sharing best practice, with the ultimate objective of raising pupil attainment and outcomes.

The partnership also aims to provide more choice for students who will have access to a broader curriculum of academic subjects and vocational options, as well as an expanded range of extra-curricular and enrichment activities right through to sixth form.

Benjamin Bond, Headteacher at The Clere School, commented: “I am very excited about working with St Bartholomew’s. This partnership will help to build the capabilities and capacity needed for us to maintain our standards that led to Ofsted rating us as a good school. Through the partnership, students at The Clere will be able to enjoy an enhanced range of extra-curricular activities and the opportunity to benefit from a more defined pathway to St Bartholomew’s thriving sixth form.”

St Bartholomew’s Headteacher, Julia Mortimore, said: “We are an ambitious school and this partnership is a natural evolution borne from joint working that has taken place to date in a co-operative spirit. The relationship between the two schools has flourished and I know that Mr Bond and I share the same academic ethos and desire for successful partnership working. I am looking forward to the opportunities this will bring for all of our students, ensuring that their learning experiences with us are as rich as possible.”

Operationally, students, parents and staff will experience very little change as there will be no change to either school’s status and each school will retain its independence and continue to be accountable to its own governing body. However, a Joint Committee comprising governors and leaders from both schools will oversee the progress of the partnership and monitor its impact in terms of the benefits for students and the continuing professional development of the teaching and support staf