Celebrating independent and state school partnerships

Christ’s Hospital was highlighted in a House of Lords event celebrating thousands of successful collaborative projects taking place between state and independent schools across the UK. The event brought together MPs, peers, and representatives from across the education sector.

The ‘Celebrating Partnerships’ event, hosted by Lord Lucas on Tuesday 5 November, recognised the many ways in which schools from different sectors collaborate to create educational opportunities for all pupils and staff involved. These include academic support programmes; careers advice and higher education workshops; teacher development initiatives; music and arts projects; and sporting partnerships.

Guests were presented with copies of the ISC’s 2024 Celebrating Partnerships report, which showcases just a few examples of the many meaningful partnerships that exist today. The report features Christ’s Hospital, the largest bursary charity in the UK. In 2023-24 alone, the school provided £24 million in means-tested fee assistance, awarding transformative bursaries to 672 students (77% of its entire cohort).

Speakers at the event included Lord Lucas; Julie Robinson, chief executive of the Independent Schools Council (ISC); Oliver Blond, chief executive of the School Partnerships Alliance (S.P.A.), and Dr Joe Spence, incoming CEO of the S.P.A.

After the event, Hugo Middlemas, Director of Development at Christ’s Hospital, said: ‘Christ’s Hospital collaborates with schools in Sussex and beyond to benefit over 2,000 primary and secondary students each year. We are keen to build on these partnerships to ensure that together we can provide the very best opportunities for as many young people as possible.’

To read a copy of the ISC’s Celebrating Partnerships report, visit isc.co.uk/media-enquiries/publications/.