Views on size of school, transition, differences between 2-tier and 3-tier systems
- Do you think that QEHS and HMS should merge and change their age range to 11 – 18?
- Comments made about the size of the school and the advantages of 3-tier in comparison to primary.
We believe that by starting at a wonderful small First School in Whittonstall and then moving on to a brilliant Middle School in Corbridge, our children have had an educational journey of the highest quality. They have been known and nurtured by dedicated, talented teachers. Within this system they have made great progress as pupils and, equally importantly, as people. It is heart-breaking to think that a system that works so well is now under threat.
The best use of resources would be to build on what we already have in the three tier system, supporting our small rural First and Middle schools. Economies of scale can be achieved by schools working together in partnership or as Federations. Resources and expertise can be shared, to the benefit of all of the children and their communities.
I accept that the High School needs to be a building priority too but in my view the local authority’s attempt to justify closures of other schools by pointing to the need to finance such re-building is completely disingenuous.
Closing good schools which are financially sound is a terrible idea: morally, economically and politically.
Smaller cohorts than would be found in a high school, where she would be just another pupil and extra-curricular activities suitable to her needs.
My youngest son has a personality where he naturally tries to copy, show off to older children, thankfully his peers at Corbridge are the children I want him to look up to. If he had gone to a secondary school aged 11, I feel it would have been detrimental to his wellbeing and self-belief and he would have been lost in the system.
My children are currently in years 5 and 8 and so are both now at Middle School. We had never met the three-tier system until we moved to this area and are passionate converts. Key benefits for us: (1) A small, intimate, immensely nurturing and caring First School deeply woven into its community which produced hugely impressive cohorts of children: small enough that everyone in the school knew everyone else, and that any problems were quickly spotted and dealt with.
I love the culture, the small, village school, the excellent teaching staff and the feeling that my children's first school is at the heart of our community. I know that when they go to CMS it won't be as big a transition for them as primary to secondary. The first schools are a wonderful, nurturing and inspiring start to education, which works so well in our rural communities.
Keep them at the centre of our communities so that the students and their families feel ownership and want to contribute to their continued success. Protect them against short-term and politically-driven policies and agendas
Both schools were within walking distance, easily accessible
I love the family, community, feel of our first schools. The way they know children intimately and can nurture them to achieve their potential whatever their learning style!
I love that those same schools bring families and communities together playing a huge part in continuing
the culture of rural Northumberland!
I love
The Middle schools
Which provide an important stepping stone, supporting our children at their most vulnerable time of adolescence - both academically and socially/emotionally!
I love that our children are not just a number...and that we value individual talents!
Small transition steps (three tier works love HMS Orchard block )
First school can carry on building my child's confidence and happiness to develop love of learning and curiosity
It's fantastic! Smaller schools and the middle schools offer a genuinely different model that works for our kids brilliantly and there's a real sense of being, as the old advertising line goes, 'big enough to cope, small enough to care'. No child feels like a number and teachers work so well across the partnerships to provide an inspiring education experience that is not about processing numbers but about giving children the opportunities to explore their world and discover their potential with real confidence.
We already have good and outstanding schools in the area where children can thrive. What I love about the three tier system is that the schools are smaller and thus more nurturing. My children get to stay at a smaller first and middle school where It is possible for all the staff to know your child and what they need to succeed in their education. I love that they are older and thus more emotionally mature before they join a huge High School. At Corbridge Middle my child has been able to make his first steps into being independent in a safe environment, by walking to school with his friends.
The partnership work closely together which gives a real community feel through the schools. It also makes me feel my children will move through schools easily and get a great experience.
I like the fact that my children can grow up more slowly with a more local school and benefit from a more nurturing school environment especially at an age where they need it
Pupils in the rural communities don't have to travel too far to their first schools.
I like the way my child has been able to progress through different schools at an age they can cope with especially the number of children they went to school with.
Our education system should suit our rural life style choice. Local schools with choice - always good for standards! I would also like to see a provision for all our children from 4-18 locally. It saddens me to hear my friend’s children unable to get into sixth form at local school.
Retain all first schools and let them feed into our wonderful middle schools. Don’t let out villages die - schools are the life blood of our unique villages and our way of life.
I like the 3 tier system that is offered in Northumberland. The fact that young children can attend a small first school up until year 4 and then go to a middle school where they experience specialist teachers and the independence of having different teachers. Their transition is so much easier and it makes them more set up for going up to high school. I believe in this system more than the 2 tier system and that is why I chose to send my children out of their immediate catchment area.
I like that children can be nurtured in their own local community in a first school that is small - like a home away from home. I like that the children can start to broaden their horizons in a Middle School that can offer them a wider range of opportunities and more specialist teaching. It gives children the safety net of trying new things and developing their personality without getting lost in a crowd. Then, when all the children are ready, they can move to high school knowing who they are. As part of a large school they can feel confident in their abilities.
Teachers in all 3 schools are passionate about their school and the opportunities that children get within them.
That the children do not attend huge schools, the teachers knowing the children is key to the success of their learning. From experience, I think our current high school fails children on this. If even bigger then there's no chance. Middle schools offer the perfect set-up - small enough for the children to get the care and nurturing resulting in a well-balanced education and creating well rounded, resilient children.
The 3 tier system. I moved away from people I loved, a fantastic house and wonderful community to have my children be educated in a 3-tier system. It was worth every sacrifice. It works because the schools are smaller, much better for the mental well-being of the kids. They are taught by specialist teachers, they are known and there is no 'one size fits all' approach to their education in first or middle schools (sadly cannot say the same for QE!)
The middle school system - the 3-tier system. My children have benefited hugely from being in smaller schools and being taught by teachers who knew them well. This allowed them to be well-rounded, resilient individuals on their move up to QE.
The 3 tier system. This has given our children amazing places to learn, and they have flourished with specialist teaching from Year 5, and the first and middle school environments. Coming from a very rural home - of which there is nothing else to compare it to in England - this has been a vital part of their education, and has provided a nurturing environment for them. We feel incredibly lucky to have been part of this system, and to have had our children attend Whittonstall First and Corbridge Middle Schools, we really couldn't have asked for better teaching and leadership or for a better place for our children to go to school.
Catholic education on our doorstep. A middle school where children can stay until High School age. My daughter couldn't have coped with travelling to a much much bigger school at 11. I would like the same choices for my son who is currently still at first school.
Schools with the children and their communities at their heart
That the level of academic attainment is excellent and that the current system caters for the unique environment i.e. rural area, widespread communities, wide catchment areas, by providing small local first schools that naturally progress to moderate sized middle schools and then a larger high school. This is a fantastic system for the children of rural Northumberland.
A strong, 3 tier system that nurtures children at each stage of their educational development by providing supportive, skilled starts at first schools, transitioning in to more specialised yet supportive based teaching in middle schools through the transitional years and in to an excellent, high school which up until now has provided excellent GCSE courses followed by extensive choice at 6th form level. I have taught in both 2 tier and 3 tier and firmly believe in the 3 tier system in this rural county.
I like that the children in small rural schools get the opportunity to mix with more children in year 5. I like how middle school mentally prepares the children for high school. The opportunities to a wider range of subjects at the school. I also like the teaching and heads at St Mary’s and St Joseph’s. They are very approachable and provide a very good service.
We live in County Durham; our son is in year 5 CMS. He is achieving far greater than he did at his previous primary school both in school and in extracurricular activities.
We’ve tried the 2 tier and didn’t like it. We moved our son cause we believe a 3 tier system is better for his education
3 tier system. My son was terrified of the prospect of high school at age 11. So was I - sixth formers and 11 year olds mixing?! At 13 he's handled the move up much better than he would have at 1
The best use of resources would be to build on what we already have in the three tier system, supporting our small rural First and Middle schools. Economies of scale can be achieved by schools working together in partnership or as Federations. Resources and expertise can be shared, to the benefit of all of the children and their communities.
I accept that the High School needs to be a building priority too but in my view the local authority’s attempt to justify closures of other schools by pointing to the need to finance such re-building is completely disingenuous.
Closing good schools which are financially sound is a terrible idea: morally, economically and politically.
Smaller cohorts than would be found in a high school, where she would be just another pupil and extra-curricular activities suitable to her needs.
My youngest son has a personality where he naturally tries to copy, show off to older children, thankfully his peers at Corbridge are the children I want him to look up to. If he had gone to a secondary school aged 11, I feel it would have been detrimental to his wellbeing and self-belief and he would have been lost in the system.
My children are currently in years 5 and 8 and so are both now at Middle School. We had never met the three-tier system until we moved to this area and are passionate converts. Key benefits for us: (1) A small, intimate, immensely nurturing and caring First School deeply woven into its community which produced hugely impressive cohorts of children: small enough that everyone in the school knew everyone else, and that any problems were quickly spotted and dealt with.
I love the culture, the small, village school, the excellent teaching staff and the feeling that my children's first school is at the heart of our community. I know that when they go to CMS it won't be as big a transition for them as primary to secondary. The first schools are a wonderful, nurturing and inspiring start to education, which works so well in our rural communities.
Keep them at the centre of our communities so that the students and their families feel ownership and want to contribute to their continued success. Protect them against short-term and politically-driven policies and agendas
Both schools were within walking distance, easily accessible
I love the family, community, feel of our first schools. The way they know children intimately and can nurture them to achieve their potential whatever their learning style!
I love that those same schools bring families and communities together playing a huge part in continuing
the culture of rural Northumberland!
I love
The Middle schools
Which provide an important stepping stone, supporting our children at their most vulnerable time of adolescence - both academically and socially/emotionally!
I love that our children are not just a number...and that we value individual talents!
Small transition steps (three tier works love HMS Orchard block )
First school can carry on building my child's confidence and happiness to develop love of learning and curiosity
It's fantastic! Smaller schools and the middle schools offer a genuinely different model that works for our kids brilliantly and there's a real sense of being, as the old advertising line goes, 'big enough to cope, small enough to care'. No child feels like a number and teachers work so well across the partnerships to provide an inspiring education experience that is not about processing numbers but about giving children the opportunities to explore their world and discover their potential with real confidence.
We already have good and outstanding schools in the area where children can thrive. What I love about the three tier system is that the schools are smaller and thus more nurturing. My children get to stay at a smaller first and middle school where It is possible for all the staff to know your child and what they need to succeed in their education. I love that they are older and thus more emotionally mature before they join a huge High School. At Corbridge Middle my child has been able to make his first steps into being independent in a safe environment, by walking to school with his friends.
The partnership work closely together which gives a real community feel through the schools. It also makes me feel my children will move through schools easily and get a great experience.
I like the fact that my children can grow up more slowly with a more local school and benefit from a more nurturing school environment especially at an age where they need it
Pupils in the rural communities don't have to travel too far to their first schools.
I like the way my child has been able to progress through different schools at an age they can cope with especially the number of children they went to school with.
Our education system should suit our rural life style choice. Local schools with choice - always good for standards! I would also like to see a provision for all our children from 4-18 locally. It saddens me to hear my friend’s children unable to get into sixth form at local school.
Retain all first schools and let them feed into our wonderful middle schools. Don’t let out villages die - schools are the life blood of our unique villages and our way of life.
I like the 3 tier system that is offered in Northumberland. The fact that young children can attend a small first school up until year 4 and then go to a middle school where they experience specialist teachers and the independence of having different teachers. Their transition is so much easier and it makes them more set up for going up to high school. I believe in this system more than the 2 tier system and that is why I chose to send my children out of their immediate catchment area.
I like that children can be nurtured in their own local community in a first school that is small - like a home away from home. I like that the children can start to broaden their horizons in a Middle School that can offer them a wider range of opportunities and more specialist teaching. It gives children the safety net of trying new things and developing their personality without getting lost in a crowd. Then, when all the children are ready, they can move to high school knowing who they are. As part of a large school they can feel confident in their abilities.
Teachers in all 3 schools are passionate about their school and the opportunities that children get within them.
That the children do not attend huge schools, the teachers knowing the children is key to the success of their learning. From experience, I think our current high school fails children on this. If even bigger then there's no chance. Middle schools offer the perfect set-up - small enough for the children to get the care and nurturing resulting in a well-balanced education and creating well rounded, resilient children.
The 3 tier system. I moved away from people I loved, a fantastic house and wonderful community to have my children be educated in a 3-tier system. It was worth every sacrifice. It works because the schools are smaller, much better for the mental well-being of the kids. They are taught by specialist teachers, they are known and there is no 'one size fits all' approach to their education in first or middle schools (sadly cannot say the same for QE!)
The middle school system - the 3-tier system. My children have benefited hugely from being in smaller schools and being taught by teachers who knew them well. This allowed them to be well-rounded, resilient individuals on their move up to QE.
The 3 tier system. This has given our children amazing places to learn, and they have flourished with specialist teaching from Year 5, and the first and middle school environments. Coming from a very rural home - of which there is nothing else to compare it to in England - this has been a vital part of their education, and has provided a nurturing environment for them. We feel incredibly lucky to have been part of this system, and to have had our children attend Whittonstall First and Corbridge Middle Schools, we really couldn't have asked for better teaching and leadership or for a better place for our children to go to school.
Catholic education on our doorstep. A middle school where children can stay until High School age. My daughter couldn't have coped with travelling to a much much bigger school at 11. I would like the same choices for my son who is currently still at first school.
Schools with the children and their communities at their heart
That the level of academic attainment is excellent and that the current system caters for the unique environment i.e. rural area, widespread communities, wide catchment areas, by providing small local first schools that naturally progress to moderate sized middle schools and then a larger high school. This is a fantastic system for the children of rural Northumberland.
A strong, 3 tier system that nurtures children at each stage of their educational development by providing supportive, skilled starts at first schools, transitioning in to more specialised yet supportive based teaching in middle schools through the transitional years and in to an excellent, high school which up until now has provided excellent GCSE courses followed by extensive choice at 6th form level. I have taught in both 2 tier and 3 tier and firmly believe in the 3 tier system in this rural county.
I like that the children in small rural schools get the opportunity to mix with more children in year 5. I like how middle school mentally prepares the children for high school. The opportunities to a wider range of subjects at the school. I also like the teaching and heads at St Mary’s and St Joseph’s. They are very approachable and provide a very good service.
We live in County Durham; our son is in year 5 CMS. He is achieving far greater than he did at his previous primary school both in school and in extracurricular activities.
We’ve tried the 2 tier and didn’t like it. We moved our son cause we believe a 3 tier system is better for his education
3 tier system. My son was terrified of the prospect of high school at age 11. So was I - sixth formers and 11 year olds mixing?! At 13 he's handled the move up much better than he would have at 1
