Partnerships Week 2024
7 November 2024 - All
The Independent Schools Council’s Celebrating Partnerships Week seeks to celebrate independent schools’ fantastic partnerships with state schools, charities, and local organisations that are vital to strengthening the country’s educational offering and connecting local communities. Here at Wycombe Abbey, our partnerships are a priority as detailed in pillar four of our Strategic Direction, and this year promises to be another exciting year for Wycombe Abbey partnerships!
Read more about our Strategic Direction
Our primary school placement programme continues to thrive, with High Wycombe schools, Highworth Combined School and Abbey View Primary Academy, joining our growing partnership network. Entering its second year, our innovative Primary School Enrichment Programme now offers an even wider range of subjects, with our Sixth Form pupils teaching Year 5 and Year 6 lessons in topics such as Computer Science and Social Sciences.
We are also establishing ourselves as a hub for chess education in High Wycombe. Later this term, we will welcome Year 3 to Year 5 pupils into our beautiful Fisher Library for chess coaching sessions, organised by our Year 11 Head of Chess Society. Through these initiatives, we aim to inspire and support young learners, enriching their educational experience in a dynamic and collaborative environment.
With secondary schools, we are committed to providing a variety of different opportunities to local, non-selective, state-schools, notably Cressex Community School as we are a part of their co-operative trust of institutions. During Long Leave, we welcomed Cressex’s Year 7s for a fun team building day. This event was a great success, and we look forward to welcoming the Cressex Year 9 pupils for their annual Summer School in June 2025. We are also looking at ways to further develop links with St Michael’s RC School and Highcrest Academy, having hosted Sixth Form pupils from both schools in 2023/2024 at careers events.
Beyond the educational landscape, our commitment to the local area of High Wycombe continues to be a vital component of our School’s DNA, and with Padre Paul as our new chaplain, we are exploring even more volunteering opportunities for our pupils. One of our most long-standing partnership initiatives is with Horizon, a local charity dedicated to expanding access to sports for children with disabilities. As part of the Horizon programme, our LVI and UVI pupils are paired with individual swimmers, committing to nearly a year of weekly one-on-one sessions every Thursday evening. Through these sessions, our pupils help build each child’s confidence and skills in the water, creating a supportive and encouraging environment. Led by our dedicated Senior Matron and Horizon Lead, Hazel Nugent, who has overseen this programme for a number of years, this partnership has become a cornerstone of our School’s community engagement. The experience is profoundly rewarding for our pupils, fostering empathy, patience, and responsibility. Horizon consistently praises the commitment and quality of our Wycombe Abbey volunteers, reminding us of the deep impact of this valuable collaboration.
We are always looking at ways in which we can continue to offer a variety of partnership opportunities that benefit the local community, and look forward to consolidating our current partnerships, as well as exploring future collaborations as we head into 2025.
Mr Sam Joyce
Head of Partnerships
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