Teachernet, Behaviour collaboration

School partnerships to improve behaviour and tackle persistent absence

Introduction

From September 2007 ministers in the DCSF expect all secondary schools, including special schools, pupil referral units (PRUs), academies, and city technology colleges (CTCs), to work in partnership to improve behaviour and tackle persistent absence.

Ruth Kelly, as Secretary of State for Education, first announced this expectation in November 2004. Following that, a number of practitioners, the Prime Minister's Delivery Unit and Departmental officials drew up the design principles and outcomes that would be the foundation of a partnership focussing on behaviour and attendance. These were announced by Jacqui Smith MP in 2005.

After this announcement, a varied range of 37 pathfinders across the country developed or extended partnerships based on these principles. In 2007, Jim Knight in a letter to LAs and academy principals reaffirmed the Government's commitment and highlighted drivers for schools to work in partnership along with early successes achieved by the pathfinder partnerships and others.

'It's hard to see how the social inclusion agenda for children and young people could be delivered effectively without a strong partnership between all agencies, including schools.' — Partnership coordinator, Wolverhampton City Council.

Schools and other agencies have always worked together to improve outcomes for children and young people. Focused and good quality collaboration between schools, FE colleges and other educational providers, along with other statutory and voluntary-sector organisations, has proved an extremely effective way to improve the delivery of services and raise standards of education. Children and young people get greater access to a larger range of opportunities; education and care can be delivered in new and effective ways. In particular, school partnerships have proved to be an extremely useful tool to improve behaviour and tackle persistent absence.

Workshops

As a result of the regional workshops we held earlier this year on school partnerships, targeted youth support and Extended Schools, the DCSF has produced a Note of the Workshop outlining the key issues which were raised.

Letters from ministers

November 2004: Letter from Ruth Kelly outlining ministers' expectation that secondary schools should work in partnership to improve behaviour and tackle persistent absence.
July 2005: Letter from Jacqui Smith outlining the design principles and outcomes.

Case study: Partnerships in Wolverhampton

'A range of partnerships, from shared budget arrangements in the school improvement partnership area to special educational needs (SEN) and social inclusion panels, to alternative provision panels and managed admissions and transfers have provided a coordinated, holistic and effective approach for our young people. By building on existing partnership structures, by involving a range of staff from different professional background and by ensuring schools are full partners in the entire process we are able to deliver consistently low numbers of permanent exclusions and a steady improvement in secondary school attendance'.
Partnership coordinator, Wolverhampton City Council.