School partnership: Tameside (regional)

In 2020, the Ogden Trust formed and funded a regional partnership in Tameside. Building on years of school partnership experience, the Tameside Regional Partnership was the first to offer place-based physics support. With leadership from local Ogden-funded secondary and primary leads, the partnership has evolved and strengthened, and more than three-quarters of schools in the Tameside Local Authority region are now actively involved. The partnership has just entered its fourth (and final full year) of Ogden funding.  

The regional approach has had wide-reaching impact with resources and CPD available to schools from early years through to secondary; the partnership funding has created a funnel of active, engaged learners that are reaching secondary school with a higher level of science capital, physics engagement and fewer misconceptions.  

The formal training days and continuing peer-support at cluster meetings has helped to consolidate teacher professional development and build enthusiasm and confidence in the classroom from EYFS through to secondary. 

“By including early years from the day they walk in, we’re building those strong foundations, raising the profile of science and the love of it as well.”
Primary Project Lead 

Professional development 

Three rounds of Phizzi CPD have taken place so far, plus one EYFS Science Talk session and one KS3 Physics session, involving around 250 teachers representing almost all of the 80 schools actively involved in the partnership. A conservative estimate indicates that these ideas, learning and resources will have reached more than 15,600 individual learners across the schools, roughly half of the total KS1–4 state school population in Tameside. 

 Teachers’ knowledge and understanding of the primary science curriculum has grown thanks to Phizzi KS2 CPD, which provides subject knowledge, teaching approaches, and resources and guidance for practical enquiries. Having the right equipment, knowing how to use it, and having enough kit so a whole class can participate in practical activities has been a key part of building confidence, enthusiasm and delivery across all year groups.  

“What we’ve got out of the Phizzi training’s been absolutely remarkable. Those resources are second to none.”
Teacher, Hollingworth Primary School

Secondary teachers have noticed that more incoming students are using similar, age-appropriate terminology and seem to have fewer misconceptions. Less time is required for recapping prior learning and quicker progress can be made through the KS3 curriculum; because such a large proportion of the primary schools in Tameside have taken part in the Ogden Phizzi CPD, there is now a continuity of teaching. 

Pretty much every single primary school in the whole authority is getting the same CPD, they’re doing the same experiments, with the same equipment. With almost every single child through my door in Year 7, I know what they’ve done. The big ideas at KS3 follow on perfectly from those in primary and if the students are covering them correctly in KS1 and 2 then the KS3 curriculum can be made more ambitious for the students.”
Secondary Project Lead

The former headteacher at Alder Community High School, agrees: “Students are coming to all high schools in Tameside from pretty much any primary school having covered the same curriculum content, allowing KS3 teachers to build upon their prior knowledge. Teachers in our science department have noticed an improvement of physics knowledge and curriculum coverage from our feeder primary schools when students arrive in Year 7.” 

Resources 

Participating schools have benefitted from significant investment in their teaching resources with the primary schools all receiving Phizzi resources and some successfully applying for additional resource funding too; secondary schools have been awarded one-off equipment grants. These Ogden one-off partnership grants have enabled schools to replace broken and outdated equipment, helping schools to reinforce the primary learning by ensuring practical physics can be delivered with more hands-on investigations in smaller groups and allowing students to continue to develop their skills as active, rather than passive learners. 

 The Tameside Partnership has also successfully applied to external organisations for funding to buy equipment such as telescopes and binoculars for use at enrichment events and to fund an additional programme of student STEM ambassadors.  

Enrichment 

A comprehensive partnership programme of primary pupil enrichment has been developed, including STEM Space Clubs, Ogden science celebrations, Astro Camps, science ambassadors and ‘Wow! Assemblies’ delivered by the secondary partnership lead. Supported by Ogden bursaries, several schools have achieved the Primary Science Quality Mark (PSQM) accreditation, whilst others have completed the Space Education Quality Mark.
 

Family and community engagement events have taken place regularly, including stargazing nights, and science shows with high-profile presenters. Since 2022, these enrichment activities have reached over 14,000 children and their families. Additional Royal Society funding has supported the set-up and delivery of a STEM Ambassadors scheme involving older students working with primary pupils within the partnership.  

[Partnership schools] are all saying pupils are a lot more excited, they are a lot more engaged. The Wow assemblies really stirred up the biggest excitement around the subject. [When I set up my primary school science ambassador scheme] I was expecting three applications and I had seventeen!”
Teacher, Our Lady of Carmel RC Primary School

This case study is based upon a partnership evaluation carried out during summer 2024 by Dr Alison Rivett, Evaluation Consultant.

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