Launching EKST – one year on
One year ago, six schools and a university in East Kent agreed to do together what we could not do alone. A year into the partnership and over thirty events later, what have we learned and what can we look forward to in year two?
East Kent Schools Together aims to widen horizons and raise aspirations. In our first year we had over 30 events for students and teachers, from TeachMeets, a Dragon’s Den event and The Big Splash to teacher cluster groups, study skills seminars and a Partnership Choir.
For students, it has been all about meeting new people and learning new skills – with the ultimate aim of improving confidence, resilience and well-being. Students from state schools and independent schools rub shoulders together with university students and learn about each other’s challenges and aspirations. Barriers have been broken, and expectations shifted.
We ask students what they will do that is new or different as a result of attending an event: “I have a lot more confidence in my singing and will do more if it for fun”; “Be confident and not be scared to work with new people”; “I can now perform CPR on people”; “Socialise with other age groups”.
Teachers have built powerful networks across the region, with colleagues from state and independent sectors learning more from each other than perhaps they initially expected. Subject cluster groups have been established, sharing resources and good ideas, especially against the backdrop of new exam courses.
The feedback has been heartwarming, with one independent school teacher saying of his experience of swapping with a colleague in the state sector: “I loved it, loved it, loved it – and I wasn’t expecting that!”. Another said: “the TeachMeet on revision was very good for networking and seeking out other ideas. I learnt a lot.”
In the summer of 2018 CCCU funded an intern, Markus Hunt, to carry out an impact evaluation assessment. He assessed the success of the partnership compared with its aims and looked at how we collect feedback. His full report can be found on the website, and the headline satisfaction ratings are as follows:
Prospects for year two
The calendar for Year 2 focuses on the events which proved so successful from Year 1, ensuring that they provide cross-sector opportunities for teachers and students.
New events will include an exciting art project, volunteering fair and debating tournament. We’ve been successful in raising students’ future aspirations and with the help of our university partner, CCCU, we want to develop this strand further.
The teachers’ programme will further strengthen the relationships established last year in sharing resources and professional practice.
We’d like to secure our future by forging new partnerships with local organisations and sponsors who share our vision for closing the educational gap in East Kent. Do get in touch with Sarah Moir at ekstpartnership@gmail.com.
We are grateful to our sponsors, Kent Community Foundation, Sir Ronnie McIntosh and Michael Head and our associate partners, KM Charity Team together with ActiveLife, the Beaney Museum, The Bay Trust and Becket 2020.
Christina Astin (King’s) and Ali Cole (Spires), co-chairs, Management Group, September 2018