There are many aspects of our school system that we would probably design differently if we had the luxury of a blank sheet of paper.

One of the most significant missed opportunities we have in our education system, I’d argue, is that we haven’t built our school system around all-through structures.

There are many reasons why this would not only benefit our young people, but also our staff and school communities.

All-through education

Just think what we could achieve if pupils had a seamless curriculum that taught them knowledge and skills in a carefully planned sequence, right through from 3-19.

We would not see time being wasted teaching content in secondary that children had already covered in primary, infantilising them as they join “big school” and look so very small in their oversized uniforms.

We would not need to undertake a raft of baseline assessments in secondary to understand where our children “are” and “what they know and don’t know”. We’d be able to set expectations high and support our children to be successful through every key stage, without a “dip” or wasted time.

Just because we had an all-through system wouldn’t mean we didn’t need to think carefully about supporting pupils through transition points, for example from key stage to key stage or when they have a change of teacher, but managing this within one educational institution would make it a lot easier.

Pastoral support in schools

Another benefit: what if pastoral support systems were embedded throughout a child’s educational journey? The same attendance officers and family support staff would have a deep knowledge of families right through.

Our young people and their families would be genuinely “known well” throughout their time in school. This would surely help with key challenges such as attendance.

Related to that, what if pupils felt part of a strong school community from 3-19 and truly felt like they “belonged” and were “welcomed”?

We know that things can go wrong for some young people when they transition to secondary; this is particularly true of children eligible for pupil premium.

Pupil premium outcomes

The reasons for this may be complex, but I do think a huge part of this is that some pupils can feel that they don’t “belong” in their secondary. They can feel marginalised by a change in school culture and different systems and routines, and changes in friendship groups and social context.

This could be managed so much more successfully in an all-through context. Schools would have the space to build thriving, embedded school cultures that meant all children felt a deep sense of belonging throughout their time in school.

And what about benefits for staff in an all-through model? All-through structures enabled staff sharing across the phases and key stages. This would lead to more efficient and effective staffing models.

Academically, you might see traditionally primary-based staff who have focused on KS2, building on where they have supported their pupils through onto KS3, which all too often can become a time for “coasting” when really it should be a time for firing imagination and nurturing talent.

Flexible working in schools

Staffing models for pastoral support, safeguarding and special educational needs could also benefit hugely from more joined-up staffing structures.

Think also of the benefits such a model would provide for teacher and leadership development. I have worked with many teachers and leaders who have found cross-phase CPD and collaboration a real game-changer in terms of understanding what children can do. I’d count myself among them. It also opens up wider and more flexible career pathways.

Financially, meanwhile, an all-through model creates a sustainable future for small primaries that may otherwise struggle, especially with the demographic crunch starting to bite in many parts of the country.

Parent engagement

And, of course, all-through would be a far simpler system for parents. Instead of the cliff-edge of Year 7, when families suddenly have far less day-to-day engagement with their school, this could be more tapered and tailored to the child’s needs.

For all of these reasons and more, a universal all-through approach is very appealing. And in the absence of a blank sheet of paper, many of us are exploring ways in which to retrofit such a model; looking at where primaries are located in close proximity to our secondaries and building out all-through-like models.

This is something we’re really interested in developing at the Cam Academy Trust. We’re lucky that many of our schools already feed into each other.

Cross-phase projects have been happening for a while but we’ve committed to taking this further. We’re confident this can only help our children and families and are excited about the possibility and potential that lies ahead, with this at the heart of our educational model.

Claire Heald is CEO of the CAM Academy Trust