‘Start the academic school year in June’

By Kelly Eve Education reporter

Last updated 11:47, Friday, 29 August 2008

THE man heading the new West Lakes Academy in Egremont believes changing the academic year could improve standards.

In charge: Barrie Cooper from the new West Lakes Academy

Barrie Cooper wants to work with local primary headteachers to look at allowing some pupils the chance to start secondary education in June rather than September.

He says introducing new coursework at an earlier stage could also benefit older pupils. Mr Cooper believes pupils will benefit from the excitement from effectively starting school twice.

One option could be to have an academic year of three 13-week terms.

They are among a raft of ideas he hopes to raise with education leaders in the county following next week’s opening of West Lakes Academy.

The academy is one of three welcoming students for the first time next week.

The other two, in Morton and Harraby in Carlisle, will be run by the Richard Rose Federation.

The leaders of all three academies see the transitional phase from primary to secondary school as the key to success for pupils.

Cumbria’s primary schools enjoy outstanding results in the national tests at key stage two but standards fall at key stage three and levels of GCSE achievement must improve.

Mr Cooper has already said he would like his year seven teachers to work more closely and to learn from primary school teachers.

Mr Cooper

“Eleven of the weeks in the term would be intensive with cross-curricular work.

“The initial week would be full of motivational speakers and the last week would be exams and presentations on the work they’d been doing in the term. That is where we’d hope to get parents more involved too.

“Also starting in June you’d get that double whammy effect, with effectively two starts.

“We know young people get excited about the start and end of terms but they lose focus in the middle.”

He added that one example would be to get older English exam course students to read material over the summer break, introducing them to courses in June and giving them the chance to discuss things in September.

KEve@cngroup.co.uk