Working together

Partnerships between complementary and mainstream schools provide benefits to both sectors, create strong community links, increase parent involvement and enhance education whereby Every Child Matters.

Why work in partnership?

There are plenty of reasons for mainstream and complementary schools to work together in partnership. Both sectors share the common goal of educating the child. Working in partnership means that more can be achieved for the child’s education while gaining greater support from various groups within the community.

Partnerships between schools can help to ensure that newly arrived pupils and their parents are provided with information and support to help them fully realise their potential in both the mainstream and complementary schools.

What is more, complementary schools and community groups provide a valuable resource through their language skills, creative talents as well as cultural and personal knowledge of both groups and individual pupils. It is also a means to open up the communication channels between the mainstream school and parents of children from diverse backgrounds.

When schools work in partnership to promote community languages, this also provides recognition for pupils’ culture and language, helping to raise self-esteem and encourage community cohesion.

Video clips: Partnership in practice

• Case Studies