School partnerships alliance
We support and promote schools of different types working together – and learning from one another – to improve outcomes for all young people.
Improving outcomes
We are a charity working to be a force for school improvement and the strongest pupil outcomes for all children, informed by research and driven by impact.
Partnerships come in many shapes and sizes. The most important factor is that they are mutually productive and make a materially positive difference to the educational, social and employment outcomes and opportunities of the pupils educated across them.
MEMBERSHIP
We are delighted that Dr Joe Spence has joined the S.P.A. as our new CEO.
Dr Spence FRSA was Master of Dulwich College from 2009 to 2024 and is CEO of the School Partnerships Alliance. In June 2024 he was awarded Tes Headteacher of the Year (Independent), the citation drawing particular attention to his promotion of partnership projects. He was Headmaster of Oakham School from 2002, having previously taught history and politics at Eton College, where he was also Master in College (housemaster to the King’s Scholars).
Under Joe’s leadership, Dulwich developed a number of mutually-beneficial independent-state school partnerships, promoted national SCITT programmes and supported Saturday Schools for primary school children in Science, the Arts and Mathematics. He is Co-Director of the Southwark Schools’ Learning Partnership, an alliance of 18 state and independent schools.
Joe has been a governor of more than a dozen state and independent schools. A trustee of the Mark Evison Foundation, Art History Link Up and the Keats-Shelley Memorial Association, he is also a playwright and librettist.
Meet the team
Here you can learn more about our operations team. With experience across senior leadership in education, research, the charity sector and more, we look forward to working with you.
Upcoming CPD
We’ve convened experts from within education and beyond to help you develop your partnership working. The focus is on practical ways to help partnership leads develop, and move school partnerships forward. From webinars, in-person training, one-to-one support and peer to peer exchange.
Join S.P.A.
Join our community. Whether your school is new to partnership work, or you have an established programme, membership allows you to connect with schools in all phases of education across the UK. It provides you with support to establish, improve, evaluate or scale up your partnership.
Our Champions
Champions – Schools that wish to shape the agenda and play a part in strategy. For details, please contact us.
S.P.A. free Impact Guide
Discover how partnering together to tackle regional challenges achieves greater opportunities for all pupils than schools could do on their own. Read now.
