Productive Term for Partnership and Community Engagement

Reviewing the Lent term 2022, Stuart Cowper, Head of Partnership and Community Engagement, looks back and describes it as ‘most probably the richest and most productive term’ that he can recall for this area of school life. 

Many projects are maturing and flourishing, with others springing up and developing – all made possible thanks to the energy, commitment and creativity of staff and pupils at school and the shared vision of our partners.

Academic 

Modern and Ancient Languages have developed new and productive partnerships.  The French and Spanish Faculties have worked with The Priory School, part of the 3-18 Trust, to shape and deliver masterclasses for high achievers who might consider A-Level languages and have also supported preparation for oral exams, giving extra guidance and practice to help fill gaps caused by Covid disruption.

There has been a new series of Latin classes offered to students from Shrewsbury Sixth Form College – with a strong and keen uptake. This resulted in the Classics Faculty showcasing a wonderfully powerful version of ‘Oedipus’, with opportunities for many first appearances for our students alongside some talented actors who auditioned from the College and Sir John Talbot’s School – a fantastic collaborative production.

In STEM subjects, the work done with Imperial College London and Oundle School has continued with sessions on Saturdays supporting students from secondary schools across the county.  In addition, the School supported the town’s DarwIN Festival in February, hosting lectures held virtually and on site, a music concert, opening access to the Darwin collection in the Taylor Library and the creation (in partnership with Oakmeadow School, part of the Marches Academy Trust) of digital resources for schools and Darwin enthusiasts more generally. 

In the background, but increasingly visible, the School has been in the national steering group shaping the work of Expert Ed ( again working closely with the Marches Academy Trust locally)  providing pilot modules related to Darwin (both the person and the scientist) and on the topic of ‘Settlements’ in Geography.  Other areas of the pilot have included facilitating keynote speakers and careers advice for free access in primary and secondary schools. 

It was a pleasure and privilege to enlist the support of Old Salopian Adam Booth (PH, 1995-2000) who talked about his experiences on Everest and their relevance to life more generally, fielding a wonderful range of questions covering physiology, climatology, Yetis and bodily functions in death zone!  Equally, it was great to work with Morris & Co. to provide a platform to help inspire young people to ‘Build Britain’ – both locally and in other areas of the country. 

Other national pilot work is more focussed and targeted at individuals – this includes mentoring children in or on the verge of care in a project run by SpringForward to help guide them as they consider their post-16 moves and applications to university.  Finally, from a long highlights package, it was a pleasure to host Colin Foley, from the ADHD Foundation in Liverpool, giving the opportunity to parents and professionals from across Shropshire to learn more about how to support people with ADHD.

In Futures, working with the Marches Academy Trust, with funding secured from a DFE Systems Partnership Grant, we have been widening horizons and helping raise educational and careers ambition for Yr10 students with bespoke talks, study visits to university and engagement with external careers advisors. More widely, our Futures offers its ‘Careers Insight’ talks to a wider audience and successfully opened its Higher Education & Gap Year Fair to local schools despite the best efforts of Storm Eunice to blow us off course.

Co-curricular

Turning to the cultural offering, last term saw further opportunities to use the Maidment and the Barnes for singing and dance with local primary schools – this time we welcomed Coleham County Primary School from the 3-18 Trust.  After weeks of fun and progress, the singers’ grand finale was a performance of ‘Crikey Moses!’ and the dancers had their moment before a big audience by taking part in the Dance Showcase.  In music, the Thursday Concert Party continues to flourish and to be in demand, with its road show reaching many local schools and care homes, and the Symphonic Sunday programme, bringing together young musicians from all backgrounds now very much back in action. 

Moving into the sporting realm, the Dedicated Athletes Programme continued with local talented athletes supported with mentoring, early morning strength and conditioning sessions and related expert talks.  Having postponed previously for Covid and weather, working with PE colleagues from the Marches Academy Trust, we were finally able to host and deliver primary and secondary Varsity Games, with competitive sports including football, archery, curling, rugby and netball, as well as taster sessions in Fives and rowing. 

In total close to 500 students participated and showed their talents, competitiveness and sporting values.  More widely the School continues to open access to sport within the community, with 800+ children learning to swim on site, 30 local cricket clubs using our indoor facilities for pre-reason training, access to squash and tennis and the use of Astroturfs providing player pathways to talented young hockey players within the country set up.

Fundraising

Charity work and volunteering has always been at the heart of School life at Shrewsbury, and the Lent term has been no exception.  Many individual Salopians and houses have done themselves proud with causes close to their hearts; by way of example Oldham’s Hall’s Harry C-W (O, LVI) raised over £3,500 for his Arctic Expedition across Baffin Island and the House raised £750 for CALM and the James Pickering Foundation with a wonderfully varied (magic, song, comedy) talent show. 

Joining forces, a whole-school fundraising highlight was the ‘Jazz Evening’ for the Food Bank Plus, hosted in the Barnes Theatre – valuable money raised at a time when the services provided are in greater need than ever, a simply brilliant evening of music and singing which rightly commanded a long and effusive standing ovation.  Reacting almost instantly to the devastating humanitarian crisis unfolding in Ukraine and beyond its borders, houses and wider school community turned energy into raising money to help the Red Cross and DEC.  Some more targeted help and messages of solidarity were offered to one of our G30 sister schools, Transylvania College, in Romania which is coordinating a response from nearby. 

Volunteering

Volunteering highlights include ongoing work with the Headway project, virtual lessons and contact with Kenyan children at Restart, supporting various charity shops in town, offering reading support in primary schools, working with the council and the National Trust outdoors to enhance the environment for people and wildlife and our Global Social Leaders have been engaging with refugees to help them settle and succeed both in their studies and more widely.  It has also been a highlight to begin work with Severndale Specialist Academy – with a number of our students already benefiting from the opportunity to spend time over there and a number of plans to engage on site next term.

The Shewsy

Last, but by no means least, the Lent term was especially positive for rekindling and developing our face-to-face, real experience of bringing together the School and the young people from The Shewsy.  There were three residential study visits up to Everton, with our Lower Sixth students receiving a characteristically warm welcome and seizing the chance to get involved and to learn more about what makes it such a special place.  On Field Day, a group of Fifth Form and Lower Sixth students spent the day in Liverpool, getting to know the city and helping out with a range of Junior Club activities.  And, for the first time, we shared a Yr9 / Third Year residential over a weekend at Talargerwyn, which brought us together for team building and outdoor pursuits including climbing and gorge walking.  At every level, working together with governance, at a staffing level, but most importantly at a student / member of the Shewsy level, the partnership is in rude health.