Partnership agreement
A partnership agreement helps you and your partner school
to:
- agree a shared vision for collaboration
- establish mutually agreed educational goals
- survive changes in the staff involved or other
circumstances
- evaluate the effectiveness of the
partnership
- give a framework for issues of accountability
and responsibility.
A partnership agreement will provide a firm foundation for your
partnership and should:
- start small and set realistic aims
- build on the partnership year by year
- involve the active participation of both partner
schools, each contributing and benefiting equally
- state how each of the partner schools will
contribute to the development of the partnership and
activities
What should be included?
The document should be agreed formally by the partner
schools, signed by head teachers (and governors) and dated.
Here is a list of key points that a first partnership agreement
should cover:
- The aims of the partnership -
you might start with a few classroom projects, but
as these develop there could be initiatives that involve the whole
school and additional partners. Do both schools have the same
aims in mind?
- The objectives you wish to
achieve - it is helpful to identify specific opportunities
for staff development and particular groups of pupils that may
benefit. If you can, mention curriculum areas, year
groups and name the teachers that will collaborate. You may
decide to work towards participation in a particular programme or
to apply for funding.
- Support for the partnership -
there may be value in involving community groups, local businesses
and organisations in the process to raise your partnership's
profile and enlist support.
More help
View example international
policies from school in the ISA section.
There is a
partnership agreement tool on the Global School
Partnerships website, especially suitable for links with the Global
South.
Oxfam has publication called
Building Successful School Partnerships with a section, What
does 'equal partnership' actually mean?