Shrewsbury School's partnership work with Trust Schools recognised at national event

A partnership between Shrewsbury School and Alpha Academies Trust 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 Independent Schools Council (ISC) ‘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 a mutually beneficial partnership between Shrewsbury School and Alpha Academies Trust, which aims to ensure children have opportunities to build aspiration, inspire their ambition and develop skills required for the careers of tomorrow. The Trust, located in Stoke-on-Trent, serves three primary and two secondary academies – around 4,000 children in total – in one of the most disadvantaged communities in the country.

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

After the event, Stuart Cowper, Head of Partnership and Community Engagement at Shrewsbury School, said: “It was a great honour to attend the event on behalf of the School alongside Simon French, the CEO of Alpha Academies Trust and to celebrate our partnership alongside so many other outstanding examples of cross-sector collaborations. 

“Our partnership has been designed to be mutually beneficial and is the product of our shared commitment to provide meaningful and enriching educational opportunities to all of our students.  Both our partnership and the other examples celebrated in parliament are testament to the enormous value of working together between different sectors, and it's clear that there is a shared appetite to ensure that such educational collaborations continue to flourish for the benefit of all."

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