Building partnerships
Co-ordinators from Year 1 and Year 2 partnerships meet to learn more about the programme, and to share and gather ideas.
Published: 29 October 2021
Earlier this month, partnership co-ordinators from new (2021 launch) and year 2 (2020 launch) partnerships gathered in Stratford-upon-Avon to meet the Ogden team, and their counterparts from other school partnerships. This meeting was the third national induction meeting for partnerships, and the first significant in-person activity for teachers offered by the Trust in two years.
The meeting provided an opportunity for the Trust to welcome teachers into the programme and to show that they are supported and valued within the Ogden community. Attendees were able to gather advice and inspiration to help them plan and orient their partnerships; and they welcomed hints and tips to help them prepare and deliver their partnership plans. The event also strengthened the Ogden network with teachers sharing ideas and building connections.
Thirty-one teachers attended the event, with one further teacher joining online. Twenty-two of the teachers were from first year partnerships.
“It will help us start our partnership with a strong idea of how to plan, work as a team and organise our year’s events. We will also know that we have plenty of support available at the Trust.”
The day allowed for the Ogden programme managers to give an insight into the structure of the programme & offer practical advice for the development of successful partnerships. The Year 2 partnerships were able to share their advice and experience one year on, sharing things that have gone well, and suggestions for what they could have done differently – although of course, all in the context of exceptional circumstances.
The Trust’s growing CPD programme is an integral and important part of school partnerships – empowering and upskilling teachers is a great enabler within the programme and has a positive impact across the schools. Our Teaching & Learning Lead, Jackie Flaherty, alongside School Culture Lead Amanda Poole gave an in-depth insight into our CPD provision, as well as a taste of what teachers can expect with some ideas and inspiration to take straight back to the classroom! Delegates were also given a preview of the Primary Science Capital Teaching Approach which officially launched the following week. (You can visit the UCL website to find out more about this project and the resources that are now available.)
“Thank you for all the hard work that went into making the event as successful as it was. I can’t wait to get started, feel inspired and excited!”
“You covered it all, and I feel so much more prepared for the [partnership] journey. I have rarely come back from training feeling so enthused.”
Paul Sapple, the programme manager who led this event, commented: “It was great to be able to bring our network back together in person again, the buzz of conversation and sharing of ideas was lovely to witness and contribute to,” says Paul. “Our new partnership co-ordinators get a time-buy-out as part of their partnership funding – this makes it easier for them to attend events like this which really do provide a solid foundation for our partnerships.
Partnership co-ordinators meet to learn more about the programme and to gather and share ideas
“It was great to be able to learn more about the plans that partnerships have for their first year, and to hear from our second-year partnerships too, as well as being able to share some of the Ogden Trust’s own learning about what makes an effective partnership. The event was also an excellent opportunity for co-ordinators to network, creating supportive, professional links with one another.”
The 22 partnerships for 2021 join a well-established network of Ogden school clusters; there are now 114 funded partnerships (Year 1-5) involving over 900 schools.
The School Partnerships programme offers funding and support to groups of schools that are committed to enhancing physics teaching and learning. The programme works with local clusters of schools and established collaborations.
Partnership schools work together to plan and deliver a programme of activities to enhance physics teaching and learning. The schools’ development of primary science and secondary physics is supported by Ogden funding, CPD opportunities and guidance from Ogden consultants and expert practitioners.
Each partnership has a dedicated hub school and co-ordinator who is the main point of contact with the Trust; co-ordinators are awarded a limited time buy out to give them time away from their teaching commitments to establish and develop their partnership.
Applications for new partnerships open annually between September and February. You can apply now to form a new partnership starting in September 2022. Visit our partnership pages to find out more about the programme and the opportunities available.
Our partnership scheme is suitable for both local clusters of schools (groups of local schools wanting to collaborate on the teaching and learning of physics), and established collaborations (partnerships where there is already an existing formal relationship between schools (e.g., through a multi-academy trust).
Partnership co-ordinators learn more about Phizzi CPD.