I’ve just read Nancy Kline’s book “Time to Think” – over 20 years too late. As a new middle leader in the 90s I could have done with her sage advice. However, I think that many of us in education naturally use these summer weeks as ‘time to think’ (once we’ve slept for a few days and reacquainted ourselves with our families!). It’s part of the ebb and flow of the school year.
For school leaders it’s a time to zoom out and think strategically. And that might include reflecting on partnerships with other schools: how do these fit within the context of our whole school strategy or improvement plan?
The reasons for collaborating with other schools are many and varied, and partnerships can be extraordinarily powerful. But many (most, even?) develop haphazardly, the result of a historical connection, a staff friendship, geographical convenience, perhaps. We can learn something from the corporate world where less effective partnerships are terminated in favour of those that have a greater impact or fit better with the company ethos.
So what are the key areas to think about in building a coherent strategy?
- People
- People, again
- People, yet again!
- Impact
- Students
- Communications
1. People
Number one – and two and three! – is about relationships. Any relationship needs time and openness in order to build trust and this is just as true of inter-school collaborations. It’s hard to find time to talk with colleagues but it’s important that we understand each other’s needs and are honest with each other, otherwise the collaborations we plan rely on guesswork.
It takes sustained effort to keep relationships going when personnel or systems change but a good relationship between leaders, as well as those managing the project day-to-day helps longevity.
What can a school leader do? Build Head-to-Head relationships and give those running partnerships time to get to know their counterparts in other schools.
4. Impact
Budgets and time are constrained, more now than ever, so it’s vital that we know that our investment is making a difference. Measuring impact is essential for any educational intervention these days and it’s not easy! It’s especially difficult to capture data for a partnership involving different schools, year groups and activities but it is possible. Evaluation needs to be useful (to you), credible (to others), robust (meaningful data collected respecting privacy) and proportionate (to resources allocated) – useful advice from ImpactEd.
What can a school leader do? Insist on impact evaluation so you can steer activities away from those with little impact towards those that make a difference. Use organisations such as ImpactEd to help.
5. Students
Ultimately, they are what it’s all about. The motto of the Schools Together Group is “harnessing the power of partnerships for the benefit of children”. More and more schools are involving students in planning and even leading partnerships, as well as benefitting from the horizons they widen and the skills they develop. Is there any reason why we can’t empower our students by asking what partnership means to them? Student voice can be very powerful as my former student Danny and I describe here.
What can a school leader do? Look to existing student leadership structures and involve them in leading partnerships or bridging between the student body and staff.
6. Communications
A strategy is all very well but it needs to be shared with the whole organisation to be enacted. Winston Churchill is supposed to have said: “the difference between mere management and leadership is communication” and I’ve certainly seen partnerships falter unless the ethos behind them is clearly understood by teaching and other staff, students and parents. But it’s not easy to keep everyone informed and included in a busy school.
What can a school leader do? Support with top-line messaging and give those involved in running partnership activities the time needed to keep all stakeholders in the loop.
Of course, much of this is about time which is always in short supply. But investing in partnerships which are impactful and meaningful will pay back time – and much more besides. And when a considered partnerships strategy is aligned with your school ethos or development plan you’ll probably get there much more quickly.
Learn more about this and more on my course in October 2021: https://hmcpd.arlo.co/w/courses/583-exploring-crosssector-partnerships-how-to-build-a-strategy-for-an-impactful-partnerships-programme-part-1-tuesday-5-october-and-part-2-wednesday-13-october-2021/641
Or for those looking to develop partnerships further: https://hmcpd.arlo.co/w/courses/584-developing-partnerships-reviewing-your-programme-to-maximise-impact-and-sustainability-part-1-wednesday-24-november-part-2-wednesday-1-december-2021/644
Featured image by Ameen Fahmy on Unsplash