Secondary school run with primary methods

Loreto High in Chorlton, Manchester, is pioneering a systen that blurs the boundaries between primary and secondary. The school has a primary school head and the pupils keep the same class teacher for all their lessons. They have recently employed several primary school teachers.

Pupils in Years 7 and 8 are allocated a personal learning tutor who stays with them at all times. Other teachers visit their form room to 'team teach' specialist lessons. The system ensure that there are two fully trained teachers present in lessons for more than half of the time. In many lessons, the pupil-teacher ratio is about seven to one. In English, maths, science and humanities, pupils two or three lessons a week for each subject taught by both teachers at once, followed by a 'reinforcement' session with only their tutor.

Headteacher, Luke Dillon, said he was excited by the project. "It was a case of 'do something radical or close'. This model convinced the local authority the school had a chance."