Children at Hensingham Primary School in Whitehaven are getting a taste of what education will be like for them in later years – thanks to a tie up with a nearby secondary school.

The primary and its neighbour, The Whitehaven Academy, are both part of Cumbria Education Trust (CET).

As part of CET’s 3-18 education agenda, its secondary schools are encouraged to build beneficial links with feeder primary schools.

It means older age children at the primary have enjoyed science and PE lessons with specialist teachers from the secondary school.

Mrs Eldon said: “Although we teach the whole of the curriculum, to have someone who is a specialist in a subject is really good for the children. Doing the activities they did in the science class really enthused them and made them look forward to going to secondary school.

“It opens their eyes to what’s available for them at secondary school level. Also, the children get used to the staff, so they know someone when they start a new school which is always a bonus.”

All schools within the trust share the same values of Respect, Resilience and Responsibility – which staff believe is another plus for children.

“When the children go up to the academy they see the same values and demonstrable behaviours we have. That is very reassuring for them. They immediately understand it because it’s what they already know.”

Collaboration between schools is a key theme for the trust and it is keen to see best practice developed and shared across school life.

It recently appointed 14 staff to lead its School Improvement Teams. More than 120 staff are involved in the project with a first focus on developing a high-quality, innovative curriculum.

The trust also has more than 100 staff involved in Collaborative Groups. They work across the 11 schools to improve areas such as mental health and well-being, parent partnerships and safeguarding.