Partnerships
Partnerships allow small schools to remain open, vibrant, and focused on their core mission: providing a nurturing environment rooted in Christian values, offering every child opportunities to thrive, and giving families confidence that their local school is built to last,
Partnerships and why they matter
As a leader of a one-form-entry (1FE) Church of England primary school, ensuring the best for every child and protecting the future of the school is both a privilege and a constant challenge. Today, with fewer children enrolling across the area, rising costs, and higher expectations from Ofsted and the community, the importance of strong partnerships with others is greater than ever.
Working together with others: more than just an option
In a small school, financial pressures and limited staff can make it harder to provide the rich, varied experiences every child deserves. By prioritising partnerships—with other schools, the Local Authority, the London Diocesan Board for Schools (LDBS), local businesses, and formal federations—more can be achieved together than by working alone.
Belonging to the London Diocesan Board of Schools
The LDBS is vital in helping maintain the school's unique Church of England ethos while sharing valuable resources, training and support. Through the LDBS, we connect with peers, share ideas on teaching, inclusion, and SEND provision, and access help during challenging times such as potential organisational changes. The sense of shared values and collective wisdom can be a real lifeline, especially when navigating tough decisions. Our mission is to provide an education for the children of the parish, be they of a faith or of none, is enshrined in our LDBS Christian identity. We are called, connected and committed to making a difference together.
Collaboration with the local authority
Welcoming children from the parish means we serve our community, aligned with our local authority, being part of borough-wide strategies for admissions, safeguarding, finance, and planning for demographic changes. The LA provides access to training, managing budgets, and support with important frameworks like the Schools Financial Value Standard (SFVS). Staying connected ensures the school is up to date, lays the groundwork for sustainable planning, and creates a safety net during financial pressure or structural review. This enables us to be part of connected, community-focused decisions for all our children and families.
Local schools, businesses, and formal federation
Building relationships with other schools—whether informally in local clusters or more formally in partnership with federations—makes it possible to share specialisms, staff, provide broader experiences for pupils, and mentor each other through challenging times. Involvement with local businesses adds enrichment activities, from the Work Weeks to accessing support, volunteering, from readers to painting, possible sponsorship, and community engagement that would be hard for a small school to offer alone.
School centered teacher training
Every year we train students from the School Centred Initial Teacher Training Centre in East London Schools. SCITTELS is a one-year, school-based program in England that trains graduates to become teachers through hands-on experience. Instead of a university-led course, SCITT allows trainees to work in a school environment from day one, earning Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) and often a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE). The program is run by a partnership of local schools and provides practical training with support from experienced mentors.
Putting children and families first
Ultimately, these partnerships allow small schools to remain open, vibrant, and focused on their core mission: providing a nurturing environment rooted in Christian values, offering every child opportunities to thrive, and giving families confidence that their local school is built to last, not just survive. Working together also means parents’ voices are heard and children’s needs—especially those with SEND or requiring extra support—are more likely to be fully met.
Partnerships provide stability, help with succession planning, and protect the school's identity while ensuring pupils continue to receive an excellent education, even in tough times. They allow us to compete above our size, sustain ourselves and succeed for our children. We are stronger together. Nurturing partnerships is a priority. When schools work together, we move from being vulnerable to being creative, resilient, and future-facing. Whether through shared projects, training, or leadership, partnership ensures that no school—however small—faces challenges alone. By investing in these relationships, we safeguard not just a school, but a community’s hopes and ambitions for its children.