SEVEN schools in Teignmouth are to take part in a pioneering project aimed at enhancing teaching and learning.

They have won a £50,000 grant from the National College of School Leadership to set up a networked learning community.

Believed to be the first initiative of its kind in Devon, the network will allow the schools to share best practice for the benefit of pupils.

Taking part are primary and infant schools at Bishopsteignton, Hazeldown, Inverteign, Shaldon, and Our Lady and St Patrick's, and Teignmouth Community College.

Leading the project will be Shaldon Primary School deputy head Karen Hadley, and community college assistant principal Geoff Warne.

'The philosophy that underpins this is of working smarter together not harder alone,' said Mrs Hadley. 'Too often, schools develop very effective ways and means of teaching their pupils that do not get shared with colleagues in other schools. We rarely step across the boundary of other schools to see what they are doing.

'This is about promoting good practice and enhancing the professional development of teachers. The closer we work together, the better understanding we will have.'

The money will be used to release staff from classes in order for them to monitor best practice at participating schools and to purchase resources such as books.

If the 'community' is able to prove the networking project is sustainable, it will continue to receive funding from the college.

'The ultimate aim is for our schools to develop strong learning cultures where we will challenge and support one another in our own learning,' continued Mrs Hadley. 'We will look at current research and bring to it our knowledge and experience in order to deepen our understanding of how children learn effectively.

'In the end that will help us improve pupils' skills, attributes and knowledge so they can become more effective learners across key stages one, two and three, which take children from five to 14.

'Pupil learning is at the heart of this process, but we will be learning ourselves and the more we understand about how we learn, the more we will understand about how the children learn.'

If successful, the project will also soften the impact of the transition between primary, secondary and further education with the implementation of more generic learning methods.

'This is an incredibly exciting time and I believe this project will be a real breath of fresh air for education in Devon,' said Mrs Hadley. 'Working together will help us give the pupils a consistency of approach to learning that will ease their transfer to college.'

Head teachers and deputies at participating schools, who will be responsible for the initial introduction of the network strategy into schools, will attend a two-day launch course in Ashburton next week, where they will be tutored on mentoring methods by Barry Joy, of the London Institute of School Leadership.