This article outlines how teaching strategies developed at Key Stage 5 can be built on in Higher Education. Focussing on act one, scene two of "The Tempest," a play that is taught in both 16-19 curricula and university syllabi, we posit that collaboration between teachers and academics across successive stages of education can extend the capacity for critical reflection and close reading. Situated in the context of the current recruitment crisis in English Literature, we ultimately argue that a heightened degree of pedagogical co-operation can strengthen student experience, aid with transition, and reinforce the structural integrity of the subject.