Southwark Schools’ Learning Partnership (SSLP)

What is SSLP?

The Southwark Schools’ Learning Partnership (SSLP) is a community of nine state and independent schools in the London Borough of Southwark which shares good practice. It provides a platform for debate and a unique forum for collaboration towards improving learning and teaching throughout the member schools. The aims of the partnership are:

• For staff and students from schools in both sectors to work together to develop innovative practice and to share and broaden their experience in order to improve teaching and learning in the SSLP schools

• To raise pupil achievement by enhancing pupils’ involvement in their own learning and by helping teachers to develop models of highly effective teaching

• To produce research which will usefully inform the debate about factors which improve levels of achievement for pupils from different backgrounds in inner-city schools

The Southwark Schools’ Learning Partnership (SSLP) was established as a DFES London Challenge project in 2003. It followed an initiative by Professor Tim Brighouse, the Education Commissioner for London, to promote the participation of independent as well as maintained schools in the challenge of raising levels of achievement of all pupils across the capital to meet the ‘London Challenge’ - breaking the correlation between economic disadvantage and achievement. In the early days of his appointment, the Commissioner organised a series of ‘suppers’ where he assembled diverse groups to seek their views on this new education initiative for London. Two of the Southwark head teachers, Marion Gibbs of James Allen’s Girls’ School (JAGS) and Dr Irene Bishop of St Saviour’s and St Olave’s CE School (SSSO) participated in one of these sessions and decided to set up SSLP.  They became its Co-Directors.

Deborah Bicknell (the SSLP’s LINK coordinator for JAGS) describes some of what the SSLP has achieved over the last few years:

 “It has helped to break down the State versus Independent prejudice and we have formed new connections between staff that will benefit our pupils. The SSLP has made the staff in different schools more aware of each other, and they want to share more – facilities, time and ideas. It provides a great support network, and really does benefit all the schools involved.”

Who is it for?

It’s for pupils and staff, but also for anyone interested in the scheme and educational issues. It aims to become a community that creates a dialogue with as much diverse input as possible. If you become a member on the website you will have access to the discussion forum and useful links.

What does it do?

Hundreds of teachers and pupils have been involved in SSLP projects and events since 2003, covering a huge variety of areas, for example, art, design technology, drama, English, ICT, Latin, mathematics, modern languages, music, PE, science and investigating what helps pupils to learn well.

A current hot topic at SSLP, and its theme for the year is ‘Pupil Voice’ an initiative which encourages students to participate more actively in the way they learn.  The pupils are reflecting on how their behaviour affects their learning and what makes a good lesson.

50 of the SSLP staff members recently gathered at Dulwich College to consider how they might develop Pupil Voice within their respective institutions. Guest speaker John Bayley shared some of his observations gleaned from schools in the UK and USA.  Groups of pupils from Years 7 and 8 from the nine schools are now meeting together and undertaking research in their own schools to develop best practice. 

Any recent news?

SSLP doesn’t just talk, it does things too: On Friday 18 January 2008, an SSLP initiative brought 15 Year 11 Resistant Materials students from St Michael & All Angels Academy to visit the JAGS DT department in order to share the JAGS facilities, specifically our laser cutter. The trip was aimed at helping students from St Michael & All Angels to succeed in their GCSE projects by using the CAD/CAM facilities at JAGS.

Mr Bima, who helped to organise the inter-collegiate visit, states,

“What is exciting about this trip is that it shows how schools can work together and share facilities for the good of all the children in the area.  We hope that we will have a long and fruitful relationship between JAGS and St Michael & All Angels DT departments, perhaps between other departments, too.”

Naturally, it was one of the hottest May days when JAGS hosted an indoor Year 8 sports tournament for students from all the member schools. Temperatures and adrenalin levels soared as 9 teams, each with members from all the schools, competed, testing their skills in exercises including shooting basket-balls, problem-solving, table-tennis, skipping, obstacle races and jumping with footballs - not as easy as it sounds. Many thanks to the JAGS CSLA Year 12 girls who ran the event and to everyone who took part with good-humour. It was a great way to achieve team spirit.

Watch this space for news of an inter-school drama production later in the year.

How can I become involved?
If you are interested in finding out more about this project please visit www.sslp.co.uk.