Nursery World - Enabling Environments: National Teaching Schools

Mills Hill in Oldham, one of the first schools to be made a National Teaching School, focuses on co-operative learning from the Foundation Stage onwards, finds Marianne Sargent

Mills Hill Primary School in Oldham has a national reputation for excellence and high levels of achievement, something that head teacher and former primary school adviser Ian Mason says is due to the school’s efforts to foster co-operative learning from the earliest age.

‘The thing that I think separates us and contributes massively to our Outstanding status and results is our heavy investment in continuing professional development around co-operative learning,’ says Mr Mason. ‘Our youngest children are used to co-operative learning situations and work routinely with partners or participate in group activities.’

Mills Hill, which boasts some of the highest Key Stage 2 SATs results in the country, was one of the first schools to be designated a National Teaching School (NTS) in 2011. It operates as part of the regional alliance Schools with Schools and offers initial teacher training through Leeds Beckett University, having trained almost 100 new teachers in the past five years.
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