Independent and state schools are set to break down traditional barriers by forming a new partnership.

The scheme would see students working together and teachers sharing expertise in a series of conferences.

A bid has been submitted to the Government for £55,000 to set up the county-wide partnership. All 27 comprehensive schools with sixth forms and 18 independent secondary schools are interested in joining.

Cynthia Hall, headmistress of SS Helen and St Katharine's School, Abingdon, and member of the project's steering group, said: "Our pupils are going to be employed in the work place with pupils from state schools and we want to get them together now.

"They're sometimes regarded as wishing to be separate and enjoying some sense of exclusivity, but they very much like the feeling of being part of the local community."

The initiative has received strong support from Oxfordshire's chief education officer Graham Badman and Lord Lieutenant of Oxfordshire Hugo Brunner.

Rod Walker, another group member and headteacher of The Henry Box School, Witney - a comprehensive - said: "We need to recognise that in the working world people work best when they're working in co-operation and in harmony with each other.

"The aim is to help A-level students in all Oxfordshire schools.

"The skills we've identified are ones needed for the world of work beyond school."

Story date: Tuesday 16 February

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