There is a rich European tradition of universities and research institutions and schools working together both for initial teacher education and as sites of pedagogic research. Different kinds of partnerships between HEIs and schools have evolved across Europe in response to local priorities (Burghes 2011). These partnerships have expanded and enriched professional development for teachers, at the same time as ensuring that research undertaken in HEIs is responding to issues of importance in the classroom (Passy et al, 2018). Our current Erasmus+ project UPPScale - University Practice Partnerships: sustaining collaboration across learning environments - is in its third year investigating partnerships between HEIs and schools, early years settings and community groups.

It builds on previous collaborations of UK partners with schools/HEIs in Spain and Denmark on previous Erasmus+ projects that have had strong elements of continuing professional development and co-researching co-design (ENTELS, Robo21C, PhenoloGIT); it also builds on longstanding collaboration for professional development between UK HEIs and University Practice Schools in Czech Republic and Hungary (Burghes 2011).  As co-ordinators we have found this aspect of the project – working with partners we’ve worked with before – an essential aspect of the success of the project, especially as the first year of the project took place entirely online because of COVID restrictions on travel. It would have been much more difficult to establish good working relationships had we not been able to build on existing partnerships.

We have documented different models of partnership working between HEIs and schools in five countries (Czech Republic, Denmark, England, Belgium and Spain) with different traditions of HEI-School collaboration. We are now researching how such partnerships work in practice and the different structures and processes that support successful collaboration.  In particular we are interested in how power relations between different actors are managed.

Our project team comprises ten partners from HEI and school/early years settings, one in each category from each of the five countries. Project partners were chosen because of both their expertise in particular areas and interest in receiving support to develop in other areas. Drawing on the notion of a ‘third space’ (Moje et al., 2004), the project seeks to create non-hierarchical spaces for collaborative transnational working. Each partner has taken the lead on one intellectual output, although our original plans have changed as we discovered more about our own and others' expertise.  As well as sharing examples of how HEI-School partnerships work within our own countries, the project takes one step further to find ways that schools and universities in different countries collaborate on research into specific pedagogic projects of mutual interest (Cain, 2017). 

To address the question of what supports collaborative partnerships, we have produced: a review of types of HEI-school partnership working within each project country, which has led to the development of four principles of collaborative partnership working; case studies of teacher trajectories linking recruitment, retention and promotion to HEI-School collaboration; a compendium of examples of research projects generated through HEIs and schools working together as co-researchers. Topics explored by partners include Place-Based Learning, Guidelines for Residential Visits and Playful learning in digital literacy

We are now working on an eBook to share research projects and introduce models of collaborative working to schools and HEIs.

We have adopted an overall Appreciative Inquiry (Cooperrider et al., 2005). approach to the organisation of the project; we are seeking to find out what 'gives life' to successful partnerships from the perspective of those directly involved. The four phases of the project (I: Discover, II: Design, III: Deliver and IV: Disseminate) were planned so that the different intellectual outputs feed into each other and facilitate forward planning for future phases. In Phase 1 (Discover) the overview of how HEI-school/early years setting partnerships function in each country provided the foundation for all other project activities, leading to four Principles of Non-Hierarchical Partnership Working that underpin the rest of the UPPScale activities. National case studies of community collaboration and teacher and student teacher career trajectories have provided examples of the positive effects of HEI-school/early years setting partnerships and informed partners of the contexts for professional development in each partners’ country. In Phase 2 (Design) project partners focussed on planning six transnational partnership projects. By this stage we were familiar with each others’ interests and country contexts and were therefore able to make informed choices about whom to work with and what issues projects should to focus on. In Phase 3 (Deliver) we worked in groups on the transnational partnership projects which demonstrate the kinds of activities that can take place through non-hierarchical transnational partnership working. In the current and final Phase 4 (Disseminate), partners are preparing to disseminate project findings and recommendations via a compendium of transnational partnership projects, national case studies, podcasts and an ebook. Information about the different phases has been collected though photographs, videos and semi-structured interviews with teachers, student teachers, community members and project partners. We are documenting how partners have built knowledge and skills while upholding the Principles of Non-Hierarchical Partnership Working. During the course of the transnational partnership projects, we have added new elements to the Principles to reflect our experiences. We have focused our analysis on how to sustain progress towards the final phase in a supportive atmosphere and constructive partnerships, with the aim that the partnerships should continue beyond the end of the duration of the funding period.

The planned intellectual outputs together produce a comprehensive analysis of ways in which HEI-school/early years partnerships can work transnationally to enhance teacher workforce development. The first, Discover, phase of UPSscale has brought together partners’ experiences in collaborative working, enabling the creation of Principles of Non-Hierarchical Partnership Working that have formed the basis for innovative and sustainable transnational collaboration. The national case studies of teacher career trajectories and community collaboration exemplify different ways to support career development, enhancing partners’ knowledge and understanding of each other’s systems and professional cultures, important for later collaboration. The transnational partnership activities focussed on innovative professional development for staff in early years settings, schools and universities that responds to institutional needs and priorities. All aimed to contribute to a sustainable, enjoyable learning environment for staff and learners that promotes inclusion and wellbeing. Project results are now being woven together into easily accessible multimedia resources that support schools, early years settings and HEIs interested in national and international collaborative working aimed at supporting and developing members of the teaching professions. Working together on understanding the systemic and cultural conditions in each participating nation, recognising patterns of career development, and co-creating TPAs over three years has enabled partners to generate sustainable transnational collaboration that is aimed specifically at developing and sustaining educators’ knowledge and skills. National education systems are shifting in response to both the reality and the threat of future pandemics; as Erasmus+ partners during Covid-19 we feel that we have been part of the movement to generate and sustain new patterns of international understanding and cooperation in relation to educator professional development.

Burghes, D. (2011) International comparative study in mathematics teacher training: Enhancing the training of teachers of mathematics, Reading: CfBT Education Trust. Cain, T. (2017) Denial, opposition, rejection or dissent: why do teachers contest research evidence?, Research Papers in Education, 32:5, 611-625, DOI: 10.1080/02671522.2016.1225807. Cooperrider, David L, Peter Sorenson et al. Appreciative Inquiry: Foundations in Positive Organization Development. Chicago, IL Stipes Publishing 2005. Moje, E., Ciechanowski, K., Kramer, K., Ellis, L., Carrillo, R. & Collazo, T. (2004) Working toward third space in content area literacy: an examination of everyday funds of knowledge and Discourse, Reading Research Quarterly, 39:1, 38-70. Passy, R., Georgeson, J., and Gompertz, B. (2018) Building learning partnerships between schools and universities: an example from south-west England. Journal of Education for Teaching: International Research and Pedagogy44(5):1-17 DOI: 10.1080/02607476.2018.1516346