Partnership work is the work we do to foster collaboration and to share best practice, resources, facilities and events with schools in the maintained sector. We enjoy forming partnerships partly as an extension of our charitable mission to help educate young people in the local community of which we are part.

Our projects vary in size but the principle behind each one is that they should benefit all of the pupils involved, including our own. Partnership work is most effective when based on long-term relationships with schools. We have built a strong rapport with as many as 18 local primary schools and five secondary schools in the maintained sector – including UCL Academy, Michaela Community School, Westminster Academy and London Academy of Excellence, Stratford.

Learn more about our partnership provision by reading our Partnerships & Community Review here.

60

Year 12 pupils from partner schools are supported in STEM subjects by UCS teachers each year

6,000

hours of voluntary work are carried out annually by UCS Year 12 and Year 13 students

150

staff, parents and Old Gowers contribute to the partnership programme every year

3 tonnes

of goods are donated annually by the UCS community to a local foodbank

Mutual benefit

However, it is not just about sharing resources and facilities with other schools, because true partnership work is a mutually beneficial collaboration. By discussing pedagogy – teaching, learning and pastoral care – in different settings, teachers gain valuable insights into how to evolve practice in their own schools. And by bringing together children from diverse backgrounds, young people can better understand and appreciate those backgrounds, reduce prejudice and increase future social mobility.

Some of the most impactful partnership projects get pupils interacting with one another. They enable students to witness different teaching styles and broaden their academic experience. There are also opportunities for pupils to lead and teach younger children at local primary schools.

The sense of collaboration and mutual benefit across partnership work reaffirms quite how much we can learn from each other to improve the quality of education for all pupils, regardless of where they go to school. Victoria Trinder, Head of Partnerships
Working with our partner schools has been one of the most rewarding parts of my career. We have so much to learn from each other and the collaborations have enriched pupils and staff alike in so many ways. Nicholas Burke, Subject Partnerships Coordinator (STEM)
Partnerships work gives our pupils a variety of opportunities and experiences that they would not encounter in any other area of their school life. Baz Timpson, Subject Partnerships Coordinator (Modern Languages)
I enjoy the partnerships work hugely and gain so much. The pupils are extremely appreciative and it has encouraged me to develop my practice – re-evaluating pupils' understanding of topics from first principles. Mark Reiderman, Head of Enrichment
We are indebted to colleagues, parents and former pupils for giving up time to enable events to take place. They have a real impact on pupils across UCS and our partner schools who all really appreciate the experiences and advice. Edward Roberts, Assistant Head (Head of Lower School)
The performing arts are inherently collaborative and our partnerships work with other schools in Music, Drama and Dance fosters creative collaboration between all pupils in our community, allowing them to share creative work and develop academically and culturally. Connor Abbott, Subject Partnerships Coordinator (Performing Arts)

Partner schools

Our links with Westminster Academy, UCL Academy and London Academy of Excellence, Stratford are well-established while our collaboration with Michaela Community School began in January 2019 and continues to gather momentum. Teachers from several of our subject departments also serve as governors at local schools.