Huyton Arts and Sports Centre for Learning: building a new culture

Case study

Building a learning centre that combines two secondary schools allowed Huyton to reshape the culture of the old schools and enable students to maximise all available learning opportunities.

Key facts

Type of school: community secondary
Number on roll: 1,300
Age range: 11–16
Headteacher: Madeleine Cotson
Cost of development: £27 million
Date completed: September 2009

Background

Huyton Arts and Sports Centre for Learning is a newly created school that replaces two secondary schools in this predominantly white, working-class area of Knowsley. Significant deprivation factors exist and the free school meal entitlement is around 45 per cent. Other indices such as health, employment, housing conditions and adult educational qualifications all paint a challenging picture. This is one of seven centres for learning that have replaced all 11 secondary schools in Knowsley, and the local authority has taken a leading role in the development of the educational opportunities from this major investment.

Vision

The school’s vision is summed up in the phrase ‘learners today, leaders tomorrow’. The school’s twin specialisms of sport and arts are areas where students can experience success and which in turn can provide impetus for future successes. Community engagement was seen as critical, especially in terms of bringing the two separate school communities together.

Stakeholders

All the staff from both schools were vital to the success of the new single school. Huyton recognises the importance of a holistic view of learning spanning ages 3–19, so the appropriate engagement of primary staff was given great importance. Other stakeholders included the local authority, which played a significant part in the establishment of the underlying philosophy of the education offer, and the other centres for learning in the borough.

Consultation

The greatest efforts went into bringing the staff from each school together. This was particularly important as the new headteacher was from one of the existing schools. Parents were also consulted and prepared for the significant changes made possible by the design of the new building. The head makes it clear that early and thorough preparation is essential.

Transformational change

There is a major focus on what the community can offer the school, and sharing skills is an important part of the curriculum offer. A lot of work was done on the ethos and culture of the school, which are very different from those of the previous establishments. It was considered particularly important to prepare both students and staff for this change in order to make the best use of the opportunities on offer. The accompanying video includes clips of students giving their views of their new school, and this point comes across forcibly. There is a wholly integrated curriculum in Years 7 and 8, and partial integration in Year 9 depending on students’ starting points. The student voice is given a high priority by the leadership team. Students have been taking part in action research into learning environments and student engagement, and their findings have been presented to staff. The use of longer teaching sessions of two hours has proved challenging but successful.

Lessons learned

Early preparation is essential for staff and students, especially where two schools are being merged into a single institution. One of the best opportunities for the new school was for each year group and every member of staff to spend a day in a similar school (Halewood Centre for Learning) before taking up residence in their own new building. An open area was created in one of the old schools which also served as a test-bed for teaching and learning techniques. The use of rolling breaks has reduced the pressure on facilities and potential student conflict. Don’t underestimate the challenges of new working relationships.

Impact

All the people featured in the video are clear that the impact has been very positive in spite of all the challenges. The students have responded well to the more adult environment. The pupils move around the schools in an orderly and sensible manner and the new teaching and learning techniques have proved popular and effective.

Next steps

Rejoice when the old buildings are demolished and landscaping can be completed.
Allow a period of bedding in and recognise that too much change can destabilise.
Student researchers will make a video of ‘what makes a good learner’.
Establish parent partners.
Develop the 14–19 integrated curriculum.