What’s best for small and rural schools?
Partnerships grow from partnerships, according to a report on the most effective ways for small rural primary schools to work together in order to improve provision and raise standards.
Using case studies and data analysis, report author Robert Hill, evaluates a range of different leadership models (such as collaborations, federations and academy chains) and suggests 30 lessons for schools, policy makers and local authorities. Using Lincolnshire as test-bed, the report finds that small schools have a lot to gain from greater partnership working but acknowledges that Governors and Head Teachers can find it difficult to get such arrangements started.
The report calls for:
Investment in the development of 3,000-4,000 executive leaders of primary schools;
School forums to be enabled to allocate lump sums to clusters as well as to individual schools;
An accountability regime that balances the competitive pressures among schools to recruit pupils, with measures that value partnership working; and
The provision of tools to help schools assess the impact of partnership initiatives
You can read the full report, including an executive summary, here: Partnership Working Report
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