THE GREAT SANKEY EXCHANGE

About five years ago a partnership was established between our school and Great Sankey High School, an Engineering College in Cheshire, England (they may be visitied at www.greatsankey.org). Cemented by a visit from the Great Sankey Headmaster, Alan Yates, the partnership entails an annual subject-based exchange of teachers, and more recently of students. The aim is to exchange ideas in order to enhance and further develop the learning and teaching experience, to the mutual benefit of both parties.

Driven initially by Mr Paul Slater, the programme has already seen positive spin-offs for both schools. The fact that the visit of our English guests usually coincides with our inter-house competition has led to their adoption of our system, and the visit to Great Sankey by Mr Slater has led to a discussion about the possible expansion of the awarding of House points to other areas as well, such as for participation in other sport codes, for instance. The schools have also presented each other with a shield to be awarded to an outstanding student. To date more than twenty teachers from Great Sankey have graced our corridors.

On 4 June 2010 SP bade farewell to the visiting contingent from our sister school in Warrington, Cheshire, in the UK. Two teachers from Great Sankey High School, Mr Paul Eager and Ms Jo Foster, and four students had spent a week at the school interacting with the SP community. At the assembly a joint musical item was rendered by the visitors and the SP contingent consisting of Ms Avril Smith and Ms Diane Gordon and students Ryan Swartz, Nabeelah Sambo and Jody Metcalfe, who had visited Great Sankey about two months prior to this.

This year four more teachers and five students from Great Sankey visited SP and Ms Avril Smith and Ms Berenice Jardine took four students to the UK during the June holidays.

Below are some photos taken on the departure of the Great Sankey contingent in 2010.