Partnership Schools Scotland is based on the work of the National Network of Partnership Schools and uses a model which has been designed, developed and fine-tuned over almost 30 years.
Partnership Schools is a way to form school, family and community partnerships to make things better for children and young people in school. It was devised and researched by a team based at Johns Hopkins University in the US and led by Dr Joyce Epstein.
Connect introduced Partnership Schools to Scotland because it really does make a difference to outcomes for children and young people.
As part of the pilot programme (funded by Skills Development Scotland) which ran from 2015 to 2020, Connect worked with schools in range of local authorities to form partnership teams of family members, staff, pupils, local businesses and members of the local community. Connect provided training and supported the schools to plan activities to engage more and different families.
The end of the five-year Partnership Schools Scotland pilot, supported by Skills Development Scotland, was marked with a celebratory online event on 18 March 2021. A PowerPoint from Connect's then Executive Director, Eileen Prior, set out information about Connect's delivery of a well-established and highly-regarded US programme. A collection of Partnership Schools Scotland stories and achievements was also launched. Importantly, academic research from Stirling University on family engagement, Partnership Schools Scotland and the positive impact of effective family engagement on children's outcomes was shared. This research adds to global findings that confirm parental engagement in children's learning and school lives is the key driver in helping children and young people to make progress and achieve.
- Presentation on Partnership Schools Scotland
- Celebratory collection of material from, and about, the Partnership Schools
- Developing Partnerships between Schools, Students' Families and the Wider Community: a Stirling University research report commissioned by Connect as part of Partnership Schools Scotland.
You can also read about many inspiring projects in which school communities have worked together to make a difference in our Success Stories pages here.