VNET EDUCATION CIC

Mixed Age, High Standards Project 26/27

Leadership for Schools with Mixed-Age Classes

Mixed Age, High Standards is a three-session leadership programme designed to help schools keep the strengths of mixed-age teaching while securing consistent pupil outcomes. 

Mixed-age schools are strong communities. Staff know pupils well. Older pupils support younger ones. Relationships with families are often strong. But mixed-age classes also make problems easier to see — and harder to solve. When expectations are unclear:

  • Outcomes become inconsistent
  • Gaps widen over time
    workload increases as
  • Staff try to manage complexity.

The focus of this project is simple: clear expectations, workable systems, and confident leadership.

Who Is This For?

Leaders in schools with mixed-age classes, including:

  • Headteachers and Executive Heads,  Deputy or Assistant Heads
  • Senior Teachers, Phase or KS2 Leaders.
  • Small rural primary schools
  • Schools with mixed-age classes
  • Larger schools using flexible grouping or vertical structures
  • Schools about to start using mixed age structures.

Programme Overview

Session 1

Establishing Shared Expectations

Mixed-age complexity cannot be solved by more planning. It is solved by clarity of expectation over time.

This session focuses on:

  • Defining what “high standards” mean in your context
  • Agreeing non-negotiable expectations for pupil outcomes over time
  • Creating a shared understanding of what learning looks like in mixed-age classrooms.

This is not about producing detailed curriculum maps or multiple objectives for each year group. It is about clarity, alignment, and focus.

Leaders explore:

  • How pupils progress across year groups as a continuum
  • How to keep expectations high without overloading teachers
  • How different classroom models can all be effective.

Leaders leave with:

  • A clear, shared language around expectations
  • A small number of agreed principles that apply across the school.

Session 2

Systems That Make It Work

Clear expectations only matter if systems make them visible and actionable.

This session focuses on:

  • Assessment that is accurate and trusted
  • Pupil progress meetings that lead to decisions
  • Interventions that are fewer, sharper, and reviewed.

The emphasis is on simplicity:

  • Fewer systems, used well
  • Clarity about what information matters
  • A direct link between discussion and pupil outcomes.

Leaders leave with:

  • Sharper, more focused systems
  • Greater confidence in using information to improve outcomes
  • Clarity about what to stop, as well as what to strengthen.

Session 3

Leading Consistency and Improvement

Sustained improvement depends on what adults do every day.

This session focuses on:

  • Recognising effective practice in mixed-age classrooms
  • Evaluating different approaches to organising learning
  • Supporting staff while maintaining high expectations.

Leaders explore:

  • What to look for when observing mixed-age teaching
  • How to distinguish between different (but effective) models
  • How to lead improvement without adding unnecessary complexity.

Leaders leave with:

  • Confidence in evaluating practice across the school
  • Practical strategies for strengthening consistency.

Mixed Age, High Standards Project

  • Virtual and in person sessions
  • We recommend that two delegates attend the project
  • Access to the project includes access to an area on VNETCIC.com with all resources
  • VNET members can access one project as part of their membership package, additional projects cost £350+VAT
  • Non-member price £500+VAT
Book now!

Dates

  • Session 1: Wednesday 11 November 2026, 1.30pm-4.30pm In-person
  • Session 2: Tuesday 2 February 2027, 1.30pm-4.30pm Online
  • Session 3: Tuesday 9 March 2027, 1.30pm-4.30pm Online

Rosie Welch

Headteacher, Alpington and Bergh Apton C of E VA Primary School

With over 25 years of experience in education, Rosie has taught and led in a variety of schools across Surrey and Norfolk. She is currently the Headteacher at Alpington and Bergh Apton, where she leads a community of 145 children across 5 mixed-age classes. With a wealth of expertise spanning the entire primary age range, Rosie holds a particular passion for EYFS, which she taught for several years prior to taking up headship. Throughout her career, she has been deeply involved in curriculum design and development. Rosie is a passionate advocate for an education that nurtures children as individuals—valuing their unique voices, promoting their interests, and enabling them to thrive both academically and personally.

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Sonia Innes

VNET Director

Sonia is a Director at VNET and has over twenty years’ experience in education, including fourteen years as a successful headteacher across three schools. She has been a long-standing advocate for school improvement in Norfolk, working as a system leader, Change Leader for VNET, and mentor for the Diocese of Norwich. Sonia is passionate about supporting teachers and leaders to develop their expertise, creating sustainable, high-quality learning for every pupil.

 
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Research Behind the Programme

This programme is informed by research on teaching, leadership and school improvement.

Evidence from the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) shows that the biggest influence on pupil progress is high-quality teaching combined with clear expectations and effective feedback. The programme also draws on EEF guidance on implementation, which highlights the importance of clear systems, strong leadership and sustained improvement.

Research on mixed-age teaching shows that pupils in mixed-age classes perform as well as those in single-year classes when expectations and curriculum progression are clear.

The programme also reflects ideas from key educational texts, including:

  • Simplicitus Altius by Emma Turner, which focuses on strong school culture, clear expectations and leadership that keeps pupils at the centre of improvement.

Together, this evidence supports a clear message: schools achieve the best outcomes when they combine high expectations, strong teaching, simple systems and confident leadership.

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