Annual report of
cross-sector partnership
work between
independent
and state schools
2020
Celebrating Partnerships is published annually by the Independent Schools Council (ISC).
The Independent Schools Council brings together seven associations and four affiliate associations to represent over 1,350 independent schools. These
schools are amongst the best in the world and educate more than half-a-million children. Around half of UK independent schools are ISC schools and
these educate around 80% of all independent school children.
Independent schools save the taxpayer £3.5 billion a year from students not being in state education and contribute £13.7 billion to the economy.
Contents
Introduction
1
Partnerships and the Department for Education
2
Schools Together
3
Coronavirus – summer school catch-up courses
4
Coronavirus – sharing online learning resources
5
Coronavirus – community action projects
6
Supporting language learning
7
Academic partnerships
8
Partnerships in numbers
10
Preparing young people for their next steps in life
12
Forming groups to transform educational partnerships
14
Supporting teacher development
16
Improving education for all through governance
18
Successful sponsorships
19
Supporting music and the arts
20
Tackling inactivity through sporting partnerships
22
Working together to help communities thrive
24
Transforming children’s lives through bursaries
25
Editors - Emily Roberts and Ian Mason
Issue 5
November 2020
1
Recent years have seen a blossoming of partnerships
between state and independent schools across
the UK.
Despite the pandemic and during enforced closures, the
impact of schools collaborating in the interests of all pupils
was clear to see – offering online tuition, sharing remote
learning expertise and resources, running summer holiday
programmes for partner schools and developing ongoing
‘catch-up’ initiatives. We have also witnessed a wealth of
community partnerships this year, with independent
schools playing their part in conditions of extreme anxiety –
producing PPE, providing beds for key workers who needed
accommodation away from their families, donating to
foodbanks and running food deliveries for those sheltering
or isolating.
School partnerships are of many types: academic, university
entrance, music, sport, drama, and governance. They can
involve large numbers of pupils at one end of the spectrum
and be tailored for specific cohorts at the other. There are
two great types of activity run by pupils themselves:
working with peers of the same age, or working with
younger children as mentors.
The evidence suggests that the most successful
partnerships have certain characteristics. They are voluntary
partnerships which normally arise from existing
relationships between schools. Schools know what they
need and what is likely to work. There is mutual enthusiasm
and reciprocity.
Secondly, they have clear and specific aims. For example, to
improve English GCSE exam results at the 3/4 boundary; to
boost music provision; to make pupils aware of and
understand pupils from different backgrounds; to increase
the proportion of pupils going to top universities; to
increase the number of girls taking physics A-level; to give
students the opportunity to play cricket.
Thirdly, they have to have very efficient and committed
teachers in charge. Partnerships often involve pupils
travelling and happen outside the normal pattern of school
lessons - so they have to have a good administrative
backbone.
Many partnerships involve staff doing a great deal of extra
work unpaid. Some have been engaged with these
partnerships for years.
We are grateful to them for all they do for children and
young people, and we thank the Department for Education,
which has supported partnerships in very many ways over
this past, difficult, year.
Introduction
Barnaby Lenon CBE
Chairman,
Independent Schools Council
2
Partnerships and the Department for Education
I am delighted to celebrate the success of cross-
sector partnerships with you and I welcome the hard
work that has gone into promoting this work across
our country. I want to thank the ISC for its
commitment to raising the profile of partnerships
and for continuously working with officials in the
department to meet the aims of our Joint
Understanding. I also want to thank school leaders
and partnership coordinators – the heavy-lifters of
this work. Without their passion and commitment to
working with colleagues across sectors, we would not
have the meaningful partnerships we see today.
As we move forward from the disruption caused by
coronavirus, and we hear the uplifting sound of children in
classrooms and playgrounds, the sense that I get from
speaking with school leaders is that we need partnerships
now more than ever.
The power of collaboration has become clear in recent
months. Partnerships help us to see past sector divides;
they focus our minds on what works best for children and
their learning. During this crisis, we’ve seen schools – both
independent and state – working together to educate our
children even in the most difficult of circumstances,
irrespective of where they normally go to school. We’ve
seen a desire to reach out from one school to another to
help in whatever way possible, be it through sharing
curriculum materials, lesson plans or other resources.
Above all, we’ve seen things that would be impossible for a
single school suddenly become possible when
collaborating with others. In that spirit, I want to see
partnerships become a powerful tool for rebuilding and
levelling up our system.
The work that schools and stakeholders are doing to
engender a new spirit of collaboration is commendable. I
want us to continue in this spirit as we recover from this
crisis, and build an even greater education system fit for
the future.
Baroness Elizabeth Berridge
Parliamentary Under Secretary
of State for the School System
3
Thousands of examples of partnership
activity can be seen on the Schools
Together website. These case studies are
wide-ranging in nature, and include
academy sponsorship; supporting
teachers to serve as governors at
partner schools; preparing A-level
pupils for higher education; pupils
reading with younger children; schools
sharing facilities; and seconding
teaching staff. Visit schoolstogether.org
to find out more.
11,720 partnerships
recorded between
independent and state schools
1,169 independent schools
partner with state schools
212 state pupils work with each
independent school on average
11 state schools work with each
independent school on average*
*Figures recorded in the 2020 ISC Census, available at isc.co.uk
“It is clear that
schools across the country are doing
extremely valuable work with partners in
the state sector, particularly during COVID-19.
With more than 11,700 partnerships between
independent and state schools, the range of projects
is as diverse as the schools themselves. Many of these
partnerships have adapted to the pandemic and to
remote education, and I look forward to
seeing new, mutually beneficial, partnerships
emerge over the coming year. I would encourage all
my colleagues to talk to their local schools, and
visit when they are able.”
Andrew Lewer MBE, MP for Northampton
South and chair of the All Party
Parliamentary Group on
Independent Education
In response to the widespread
disruption to education caused by
the coronavirus pandemic, a
number of schools organised
bespoke COVID-secure summer
courses this year, which were
designed to help local pupils catch
up on their education.
Teachers from King’s College
School in Wimbledon partnered
with staf at four local schools to
deliver a fortnight of GCSE top-up
lessons for 60 state pupils. The
students, who were preparing to
start Year 11 in September, received
specialist teaching in English, maths
and science, along with free
lunches and breaks for games and
activities.
To help local youngsters catch up
on key parts of the curriculum,
teachers from Hampton School
and Lady Eleanor Holles School
collaborated to provide learning
support to 72 Year 10 pupils from
nearby state schools. The lessons,
which took place over the course of
two weeks, covered English, maths,
geography, history and the
sciences.
“These superb catch-up sessions
offered our GCSE pupils an
opportunity to consolidate all their
learning with the help of specialist
teaching by staff who gave up their
summer holidays to ensure students
could benefit.”
Assal Ruse, headteacher at
Twickenham School
“I feel like I’ve been able to develop
new strategies. I’m feeling much more
confident.”
Immanuel, a pupil at
Reach Academy in Feltham
In August, Highgate School and
the London Academy of
Excellence Tottenham (LAET)
hosted a summer school for 82 Year
10 students afected most by
prolonged school closures. The
week-long course ofered a series of
lessons in core subjects, along with
co-curricular activities and
workshops designed to enhance
employability skills and support
wellbeing.
“We want to make sure we are doing
everything we can to counteract the
emotional and educational
disruption this has had on some of
the most vulnerable children in our
community.”
Adam Pettitt,
head of Highgate School
Coronavirus – summer school catch-up courses
4
“
“
Coronavirus – sharing online learning resources
During the nationwide closures earlier this year, schools
were faced with the challenge of delivering remote
learning, and for many this quickly became the ‘new
normal’. A considerable number of schools have since
shared their learning resources online, widening access to
important educational opportunities. Many have also
fundraised for and donated technological devices,
providing vital internet access for children experiencing
digital poverty.
Eton College is offering students from Years 10 to 13
across the country free access to its online learning
platform, EtonX. The initiative forms part of the school’s
ambitious New Social Vision project, which aims to harness
academic excellence and share it more widely. The online
courses range from developing leadership skills to
preparing for university and the workplace. Over 900 state
schools have signed up, providing access for more than
220,000 secondary pupils.
In collaboration with the
World Health Organisation,
and with the support of
UNICEF, Scarisbrick Hall has
been delivering an online
educational programme
called The Global Classroom.
The virtual events unite
children and experts from all
over the world, where they can discuss important topics
relating to education and wellbeing. The initiative has
provided learning opportunities to 150,000 schools in 193
countries, and over two million students have taken part.
Earlier this year, sixth formers from Withington Girls’
School, Manchester High School for Girls and The
Manchester Grammar School joined forces to create
HomePal, a home learning programme designed to enrich
the education of younger pupils. The learning resources,
which were shared to social media platform Instagram,
were primarily targeted at schoolchildren
in Years 7 to 9, though users of all
ages were encouraged to
learn a new skill or
subject during
lockdown. The
contributors also
shared lessons on
mindfulness, to
support the
mental health of
children and
young people
during school
closures.
“You can already see the impact
having access to EtonX had
on student aspirations and
on student confidence. Lockdown
was so difficult for everybody,
especially young people and
teenagers - for them to be able to get
involved in something that’s looking
forward to a positive future was
really vital for them.”
Dave Marsham,
achievement leader at
Bedford Academy
5
6
Schools across the country have helped their wider
communities as part of the UK’s fightback against
coronavirus. From producing and donating personal
protective equipment to sharing vital resources and
facilities, pupils, teachers and school leaders have stepped
up to support those in need.
To assist efforts to keep schools open, Benenden School
is sharing its rapid coronavirus testing machine with two
local state schools. The machine, which generates results in
90 minutes, is being used to test any pupils or staff who
display symptoms of the virus and to detect potential cases
of asymptomatic transmission. Key medical and senior staff
at the school have been fully trained in how to operate the
equipment, along with staff from the village primary
school and the academy which Benenden sponsors.
During lockdown, Fettes College worked in partnership
with social enterprise Scran Academy to prepare over
31,000 meals for the most vulnerable in Edinburgh.
Alongside staff volunteers and alumni, the catering
manager and the executive chef at Fettes helped to make
and distribute over 3,000 meals a week to those in need.
To meet increasing demand for personal protective
equipment, Tonbridge School established its own mask
manufacturing operation. Led by the school’s design
technology department, a team of staff and student
volunteers created several thousand masks, which were
then distributed to key workers across the country. They
also created a website, make-more-masks.com, offering
step-by-step manufacturing information so that other
schools could contribute to the national effort.
Coronavirus – community action projects
“We are fortunate enough to have access to
Benenden's SAMBA II rapid testing machine,
which at this time is absolutely invaluable.
Responding quickly to any suspected COVID-19
cases significantly reduces the risk of
transmission across a bubble and is an
additional layer in keeping the wider
community safe.”
Damian McBeath,
principal of The John Wallis
Church of England Academy
ACS International Schools has been engaged in different community outreach projects during the
pandemic, from developing emergency ventilator masks to providing 13,000 meals to children of
families experiencing hardship. Partnerships director Graeme Lawrie, who spearheaded a number of
these initiatives, has been awarded an MBE for his services to education.
Theo Wride, a student at
Royal Grammar School, Newcastle,
is to receive a British Empire Medal
for his services to the community and
key workers in Sunderland during the
pandemic. Using his own 3D printer
and funds generated through a
crowdfunding campaign, he designed
and produced around 1,200 visors
for medical professionals and care
home staff across the country.
“
“
Supporting language learning
A 2018 report from the Organisation
for Economic Cooperation and
Development has highlighted the
drop-off of language learning in
Britain, revealing pupils spend
an average of just 1.7 hours a
week learning a second
language. In an effort to
improve the uptake of
modern foreign languages,
many schools are forming
meaningful partnerships
designed to inspire a generation
of linguists.
Every year, Portsmouth High School
GDST hosts its Festival of Languages, an
event designed to ignite a love of languages among
children in the local community. Primary and junior
school pupils are invited to take part in an array of
interactive activities, which enable them to explore new
languages and celebrate different cultures from all over
the world. Senior school pupils at Portsmouth High
School assist specialist teachers in delivering a carousel of
taster lessons, which cover languages ranging from Urdu
and Russian to Japanese and Dutch.
A group of A-level students at St Mary’s Calne lead a
weekly after school Spanish club at Priestley Primary
School, where Spanish has recently been added to the
curriculum. As a result, the primary school children have
grown in confidence, and have developed their
understanding of the language. The A-level volunteers
have also learned valuable skills, including how to engage
their audience and how to plan and deliver a lesson.
New College School (NCS) has created its own
Language Ambassador Award to inspire younger linguists
at the school and pupils in partner primary schools. Year 8
pupils at NCS are taught how to lead culturally
informative language lessons, which they then deliver to
children at a local state school. The project boosts the Year
8 pupils’ leadership skills, and the primary school children
experience a celebration of diversity. This year, the
ambassadors will be delivering taster lessons in four
languages: French, German, Mandarin and Greek.
8
Academic partnerships
Through academic partnerships, independent
and state schools widen access to educational
opportunities for young people. These initiatives
also support vulnerable subjects at risk of being
squeezed out of the state school curriculum,
and can raise the aspirations of pupils
underrepresented in certain fields such as STEM.
King Edward’s School (KES) in Birmingham runs an
academic programme which introduces local
primary school pupils to the concept of formal
debating. The one-hour workshops, which take place
on Friday afternoons, are developed and delivered
by older pupils at KES. Working in groups, the
children are given practice in public speaking,
challenging others’ points of view, and are
encouraged to defend their arguments using
factual evidence.
For the last two years, Streatham & Clapham High
School GDST (SCHS) has shared its classical
civilisation lessons with pupils from four local state
schools, enabling them to earn a GCSE in the subject.
Before the coronavirus outbreak, pupils from partner
schools would travel to SCHS, where they received
specialist teaching from staf in the classics
department. When lockdown restricted movement
between the schools, SCHS delivered its lessons
online, enabling pupils from those partner schools to
continue studying alongside their own students.
“
“
“It is a good opportunity
to meet new people and
you learn so much more
from hearing the ideas of
students from other schools.”
Marlo,
a Year 10 pupil