Arete Partnership report 2022-23

ARETE PARTNERSHIP End of Year Report 2022-23 Gordon’s School Woking High School Robert May’s School Blenheim High School

ARETE PARTNERSHIP REPORT 2022/23 The Arete partnership was first established between Gordon’s School and Woking High School in June 2015 with the commitment to providing opportunities for staff and students to discover and develop their talents and interests to the highest standard possible, to lead healthy lives and to make a positive difference to the lives of others. The partnership reflects the developmental aims of both secondary schools in improving practice through collaboration, increasing capacity for training and enterprise, and offering opportunities to students to work and compete together across a range of activities. At the end of last academic year, the partnership welcomed Robert May’s School, Odiham (Years 7-11 only) and earlier this year we welcomed Blenheim High School, Epsom (Years 7-11 plus Sixth form). It was decided that the partnership would be split into four silos with each school taking the lead on one silo, Training and Enterprise (Gordon’s), Student Events (Woking High), Developing Practice (Robert May’s) and Procurement (Blenheim).

DEVELOPING PRACTICE The Arete commitment to developing and sharing outstanding practice is still at the heart of the partnership. This year the Deputy Heads and Sencos have met termly. In addition the following departments have met to collaborate, Computing, Food and Nutrition, French, Geography and History.

With Robert May’s School taking the lead on development practice it is hoped that more departments will collaborate in the new academic year. Training for Governors was introduced this year and it is hoped that there will be at least one opportunity for the partnership Governors to meet each year, sharing the training costs.

TRAINING AND ENTERPRISE In November, 28 students were presented with their certificates for completing the ILM Level 2 (Aspiring Young Leaders) and four students received their ILM Level 3 (Aspiring Middle Leaders). In the Summer Term 38 of our junior prefects travelled to Woking High to complete the learning for ILM Level 2. Gordon’s School have not delivered the Level 5 (teaching staff) qualification again this year due to the Government offering the NPQ qualifications free of charge. This will be reviewed for next year.

The ILM 7 Award (Aspiring Senior Leaders) has now received approval and it is hoped that the course will begin in Spring/Summer 2024, with at least one senior leader from each school attending.

It is hoped to roll out the ILM Level 2 award across all four schools in the next academic year and to open up the Level 3 award to the wider senior prefect team both at Gordon’s School and Blenheim High School.

In the past Woking High have taught ILM Level 3 to aspiring middle leaders, mainly support staff, however the ILM Level 5 award taught by Gordon’s School has been very teacher focused, Gordon’s are exploring a secondary ILM Level 5 award which will have a business focus and therefore more suited to support staff wishing to increase the CPD opportunities.

Gordon’s School will be taking the lead on Training and Enterprise.

FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS The competitions for student events have been limited, they have included badminton, table tennis, athletics, cross country, and chess. Woking High will take the lead on student events in the upcoming academic year, Barry Goosen will be managing these student events. It is planned to run two student events days a year, one which will be predominantly sports in low number niche events such as shooting, rowing etc. The second event will be a non-sports half day concentration on debating, poetry etc.

Gordon’s will be hosting their MUN conference in early spring to which all partnership schools will be invited. Each school will continue to invite partner schools to events open to others outside the partnership where appropriate.

PROCUREMENT The School Business Managers have met twice since Blenheim and Robert May’s joined the partnership at the beginning of the year, they plan to focus next year on the ways the schools can work together for best practice and to save money. This will be primarily led by Blenheim High School.