Independent state school partnerships (ISSPs): an exploration of partnership enactment
Lead Research Organisation:
King's College London
Department Name: Education,Communication & Society
Abstract
In 1997 the Labour government charged independent schools with sharing their facilities and their teachers with local state maintained schools (DFEE, 1997). The first 'independent state school partnerships' (ISSPs) were centrally funded the following year, and by 2017 the Independent Schools Council reported that 88% of its schools were involved in some form of partnership with schools in the maintained sector (ISC, 2017ii). Although ISSPs have existed for over twenty years, published accounts are mainly progress reports or evaluations (Sharp et al, 2001; Ofsted, 2005; Armstrong, 2015). In one more analytical exploration, Lucas et al (2017), conducted a 'rapid review of the extent of current [ISSP] activity and the existence of any evidence of impact' (p4) in 2017, which revealed that partnerships can bring significant benefits for pupils, teachers and schools; such as opportunities for 'academic learning', sharing 'best practice' and access to facilities (p16).
This study explores these partnerships; what they are; how they are understood by the different participants; how power relations shape them; what is claimed for them and what costs and gains, both tangible and intangible, are involved in enacting them across different types of schools. It investigates the nature of ISSPs and their enactment in practice, considering their impact on state and independent school leaders, teachers, pupils and their schools. It explores the ways in which collaborative work and partnership is actually 'done' in ISSPs and seeks to uncover the 'jumbled, messy, contested, creative and mundane social interactions... (and) negotiations and coalition building' (Ball, et al. 2012: 2) that make up the process of doing policy in schools.
Through the theoretical lens of social exchange theory (Homans, 1958; Emerson, 1976), the study considers the 'worth' of partnerships - the balance of the perceived benefits less their costs, and seeks to build a deeper holistic picture of their impact. It also uses policy enactment theory (Ball et al, 2012: 3), that is, 'the abstractions of policy ideas into contextualized practices' to explore power distribution and different forms of teacher investment in these partnerships. Through interviewing school leaders, as well as those actively involved in partnership activities, this research investigates empirically how teachers understand partnership, claims about the benefits and costs of partnership to all schools involved, to contribute to the ongoing national debate about how schools in different sectors can work together most effectively.
With increasing government interest in, and commitment to, cross-sector collaboration, and given the regular concerns about their charitable status, governments have looked to independent schools to do more to broker partnerships with the state maintained sector (DfE, 2016; ISC, 2016ii). These ISSPs are in the vanguard of policy and it is both timely and important to question their significance, their role and their effectiveness.
This study explores these partnerships; what they are; how they are understood by the different participants; how power relations shape them; what is claimed for them and what costs and gains, both tangible and intangible, are involved in enacting them across different types of schools. It investigates the nature of ISSPs and their enactment in practice, considering their impact on state and independent school leaders, teachers, pupils and their schools. It explores the ways in which collaborative work and partnership is actually 'done' in ISSPs and seeks to uncover the 'jumbled, messy, contested, creative and mundane social interactions... (and) negotiations and coalition building' (Ball, et al. 2012: 2) that make up the process of doing policy in schools.
Through the theoretical lens of social exchange theory (Homans, 1958; Emerson, 1976), the study considers the 'worth' of partnerships - the balance of the perceived benefits less their costs, and seeks to build a deeper holistic picture of their impact. It also uses policy enactment theory (Ball et al, 2012: 3), that is, 'the abstractions of policy ideas into contextualized practices' to explore power distribution and different forms of teacher investment in these partnerships. Through interviewing school leaders, as well as those actively involved in partnership activities, this research investigates empirically how teachers understand partnership, claims about the benefits and costs of partnership to all schools involved, to contribute to the ongoing national debate about how schools in different sectors can work together most effectively.
With increasing government interest in, and commitment to, cross-sector collaboration, and given the regular concerns about their charitable status, governments have looked to independent schools to do more to broker partnerships with the state maintained sector (DfE, 2016; ISC, 2016ii). These ISSPs are in the vanguard of policy and it is both timely and important to question their significance, their role and their effectiveness.
Organisations
Publications
Hunnaball M
(2021)
Independent and state school partnerships (ISSPs) in England: systemic tensions and contemporary policy resolutions
in Journal of Educational Administration and History
Studentship Projects
| Project Reference | Relationship | Related To | Start | End | Student Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ES/P000703/1 | 01/10/2017 | 30/09/2027 | |||
| 2104311 | Studentship | ES/P000703/1 | 01/10/2018 | 28/02/2021 | Margaret Hunnaball |
| Description | This study contributes to the knowledge of how schools from the state-maintained and independent sector work together in three partnerships. One methodological contribution of the work has been my use of the telling case as a form of analysis. Telling cases are a little used form of case study that fit into the inductive approach used by interpretivist researchers, and are heuristically useful. The telling case approach to my study allowed the features of each ISSP to unfold, exposing new theoretical insights. My study also underlines the importance of the situatedness of ISSPs, as shown in a Venn diagram framework for analysing partnerships (and their enactments) in contextual terms. This framework illustrates how external influences intersect with the contexts of both state and independent schools and reveals how the operational context of each partnership differently impacts schools and external partners. In addition, this is the first study to apply Ball, Maguire and Braun's (2012) policy enactment theory to ISSPs. Doing this has uncovered the influence of, and dependence upon, key policy actors in strategic decision-making and planning, organising and delivering activities. Through my study, I encountered three further 'ISSP actors' to complement those of Ball et al.; these are the partnerpreneurs, activators and innovators discussed in the previous chapter. Enactment of ISSP policy exposed the power differentials and resource inequalities, both human and material, in the three telling cases. Some inequalities were recognised, and others appeared to be accepted, but participants were clear that patronage would not have been. Through the lens of social exchange theory (Homans, 1958), this study has shown the benefits ISSPs bring to schools from both sectors, and their pupils and staff. These were set against the costs and challenges of being involved in working with other schools. Schools from both sectors reported benefitting from ISSP working in marketing terms, referencing their cross-sector working in school documents, including prospectuses and newsletters. Schools in the independent sector are stereotypically seen as serving pupils relatively advantaged in terms of social and cultural capital. This makes it arguably more important that participants reported bridges being built between the sectors, bringing social and cultural benefits for all pupils and staff involved. My research has also documented the evolving nature of ISSPs. The most effective partnership working is underpinned by relationships, trust and mutuality, which grow and change over time. The fluid nature of partnership working allows it to change as schools need different things of it. I described evolving partnership ecologies, which reflect this evolutionary approach in connections, associations, alliances and unions. These ISSP ecologies are constantly changing, as school contexts vary, growing as new partners come on board, and reforming through new funding or structural transformations. While these ecologies are advanced here in terms of cross-sector partnerships, they could also apply to other educational partnerships involving actors from different settings, such as ITE partnerships between HEIs and schools. |
| Exploitation Route | There is growing interest in cross-sector educational partnerships. The newly formed charity, School Partnerships Alliance, has already drawn on my PhD thesis in its first publication. As the charity becomes more established, my work will inform some of their training courses. A number of partnership professionals are undertaking further study and my work will be of interest to them, especially due to the paucity of literature around this topic. |
| Sectors | Education |
| Description | My work has been used by The Partnering Initiative (TPI) in drawing up 'School Partnerships for Impact Guide' for the School Partnerships Alliance. TPI is a 'non-profit dedicated to unleashing the power of partnership for sustainable development'. Further to the launch of this guide, I had an article published in the Times Educational Supplement (online) about the guide and cross-sector partnerships. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2023 |
| Sector | Education |
| Impact Types | Policy & public services |