Best Practice

Building local partnerships between schools: Four guiding principles

Whole-school issues School improvement
Collaboration between schools to share expertise, resources and more feels like a no-brainer – but how might we actually go about making this effective and sustainable in practice and in the long term. John Smith advises
Power of four: School leaders looking to initiate partnerships from scratch, are advised to use the four “pillars of partnerships” as recommended by Schools Together - Adobe Stock

The idea of collaborative advantage is well-understood in business, but less so in schools. When organisations pool resources and expertise in a strategic manner, the whole can become more than the sum of its parts.

The best multi-academy trusts and school federations have shown the power of this approach, but it is a lever that we need to pull more widely, across all schools, in all localities.

Moreover, in education secretary Bridget Phillipson's speech to the Confederation of School Trusts Conference in November (DfE, 2024), a renewed focus on collaboration within the Department for Education came through loud and clear.

She said: “It’s about partnership, and government is here in partnership with you. That’s what our Regional Improvement for Standards and Excellence teams are here for too – led by the best teachers and leaders in the country, facilitating new support and spreading excellence.”

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