Co-operative Identity Mark piloted successfully with six co-operative schools
The pilot of the new Co-operative Identity Mark for co-operative schools has now been successfully completed, with six co-operative primary and secondary schools taking part.
The CIM provides a framework to help schools determine the extent to which they put co-operative values into practice. It also helps capture information about the benefit the school provides to the wider community. The Mark addresses key areas of the school’s work, focusing particularly on governance, curriculum, pedagogy, staff development and community engagement.
Whalley Range High School for Girls (Manchester), Birches Head High School (Stoke-on-Trent), Royds Hall High School (Huddersfield), William Shrewsbury Primary School (Burton upon Trent), Fountains Primary School (Burton upon Trent) and Royston Summer Fields Primary School (Barnsley) piloted the CIM, and all found the opportunity to self assess their co-operative practices very valuable. They particularly enjoyed the opportunity to visit another school to see how they all approached the co-operative ethos in different ways.
The CIM will help schools assess the level of their current practice practice in each of these aspects, and with respect to each of the co-operative values, intending to stimulate debate about how the school embeds the co-operative values and to what extent they affect the day-to-day practices of the institution and its stakeholders.
As more schools are adopting the co-operative values as their guiding ethos, it is important to ensure the quality of the practices that embed the values. This framework and its assessment process will go some way to ensuring quality.
The Co-operative Identity Mark will be launching in September and is open to all co-operative schools. For further information, or to register for the CIM, please contact Nina Eastwood at nina@co-op.ac.uk.
Published On: July 18, 2012
Written By: Natalie
Filed Under: Co-operative Learning • Schools and Young People
Co-operative Learning