Schools love to work together. Across the maintained and independent sectors, there are innumerable examples of how institutional collaboration can benefit students, staff, and their school communities at multiple levels. The HMC conference on Innovation and Impact earlier in the month posed the important question: what more can the independent sector be doing? At NLCS, like many schools, we have a rich history of collaborating with local state and independent schools. We are pleased to share some of that current work below.
“Our partnership with NLCS is a vital part of our boys’ wider co-curricular development. From Year 7 to Year 13, large numbers of QE boys and NLCS girls have benefitted enormously from subject-based symposia, debates, poetry sessions, interview practice and other events. Partnerships like this allow both sets of pupils (and their staff) to understand different perspectives, hear new voices, build networks and simply grow as young socially confident people. We are grateful to NLCS and very excited to see what further opportunities arise from the new Ideas Hub!”
Crispin Bonham-Carter, Assistant Head (Pupil Involvement), Queen Elizabeth’s School, Barnet
At the Ideas Hub, we want to think about what’s next. How do we build on this partnership work, and what can we do differently to make it even more impactful?
In recent weeks a major, 26-year US study on the long-term impact of extracurricular activities ((link here) evidences that opportunities for students outside the classroom, especially those from lower-income backgrounds, have a disproportionately positive impact on well-being and long-term professional success. Instinctively, for many of us in education, this is not necessarily a surprise. What is surprising is that this level of research and evidence on this topic is so scarce.
Recent discussions in the educational community highlight the significant benefits of partnerships in this area, with influential voices like Baroness Barran MBE advocating for their transformative potential; these partnerships enhance educational outcomes and strengthen community ties, promoting a more inclusive educational landscape.
The Ideas Hub will be expanding our partnership work later this year to have a broader focus on primary schools. We will be developing metrics and processes to track the impact of this work on everyone involved: our students, visiting students, and staff from all participating schools.
Opportunities outside the classroom, at whatever age, are transformational. They open doors, inspire minds, develop character, and are intrinsic to a world-class education. Schools working in partnership, sharing these opportunities, learning from others, and collaborating at a deeper level—in a way that tracks and values the impact of this work—is something we at NLCS are committed to developing further. We look forward to sharing that work with you in the months ahead.
And of course, in the spirit of partnership, please do get in contact with us if you would like to learn more or work with us.