The role of partnerships in education is becoming increasingly prevalent worldwide, in order to meet social and educational needs. Educational establishments are joining forces with each other, with social care and health services, voluntary organizations, employers, and many others, to improve the provision of education and other services (eg Billet et al, 2007). The variety of contexts across Europe means that educational partnerships differ in content, but ways of conceptualising partnership work are still relevant across contexts and countries.

In England, policy reforms under the 1997-2010 New Labour Government placed an implicit requirement on schools, colleges and other organizations to join together in order to deliver more choice and flexibility in young people’s education (DCSF, 2008). The current Coalition government expects schools and colleges to work together according to need (BIS, 2010; DfE, 2010), and to develop creative and innovative ways of working together to meet the needs of children and young people (DfE, 2011). Educational partnerships, therefore, have significant contemporary relevance to policy and practice: to those in national and local government, in strategic and delivery positions across children’s services.

Partnerships have been conceptualised in terms of the ways in which they develop (Billet et al, 2007); structure (Hodgson and Spours, 2006); purpose (Higham and Yeomans, 2010); and process, particularly the degree to which EIs have integrated joint working into their planning and structures (Rose, 2011a). The ways in which these aspects of partnership can change over time, resulting in changes in goals, processes and membership, highlight the importance of relationships between individuals in developing and sustaining collaborative work (Billet et al, 2007; Higham and Yeomans, 2009; Rose, 2011a). Partnership work, however, is often considered at the level of the organisation, rather than the individual (Taket and White, 2000), although interaction within partnerships is carried out by individuals, and the interactions between individuals vary widely between organisations and between partnerships (Lumby and Morrison, 2006).

The nature and quality of relationships between individuals is responsible, at least in part, for the success or failure of educational reform (Daly, 2010). Ongoing and successful individual relationships are important in education partnerships (Kaehne and Bayer, 2009; Rose, 2011a), and imbalances in relationships, where one individual holds more power or influence than another, is a frequently occurring problem which can lead to problems in commitment and decision making (Cardini, 2006; Rose, 2011b). Success in partnership, therefore, is not only dependent on a sense of shared values, as commonly recognised in the literature (Rose, 2011b); the role played by key individuals can also be crucial (Lumby, 2009).

This research explores the processes involved in educational partnerships. It aims to understand the professional and social links between individuals working in partnerships, and consider how those relationships are related to partnerships at an organisational level. It asks: To what extent do the links between individuals in different organisations reflect more formal organisational partnerships?

Billet, S., Ovens, C., Clemans, A. and Seddon, T. (2007) Collaborative working and contested practices: forming, developing and sustaining social partnerships in education. Journal of Education Policy, 22(6), 637-656. BIS (2010). Skills for Sustainable Growth. Strategy Document. London: Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. Cardini, A. (2006). An analysis of the rhetoric and practice of educational partnerships in the UK: an arena of complexities, tensions and power. Journal of Education Policy, 21(4), 393-415. Daly, A. J. (2010). Social Network Theory and Educational Change. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Press. DCSF (2008). Delivering 14-19 Reform: Next Steps. Nottingham: DCSF Publications. DfE (2010). The Importance of Teaching: The Schools White Paper. Norwich: The Stationery Office. DfE (2010). Support and Aspiration: A new approach to special educational needs and disability. London: HMSO. Higham, J. and Yeomans, D. (2010) Working together? Partnership approaches to 14-19 education in England. British Educational Research Journal, 36(3), 379-401. Hodgson, A. and Spours, K. (2006). The organisation of 14-19 education and training in England: beyond weakly collaborative arrangements. Journal of Education and Work, 19(4), 325-342. Kaehne, A. and Bayer, S. (2009). Transition partnerships: the views of education professionals and staff in support services for young people with learning disabilities. British Journal of Special Education, 36(2), 112-119. Lumby, J. (2009). Collective leadership of local school systems. Power, autonomy and ethics. Educational Management, Administration and Leadership, 37(3), 310-328. Lumby, J. and Morrison, M. (2006). Partnership, conflict and gaming. Journal of Education Policy, 21(3), 323-341. Rose, J. (2011a). Partnerships. In J. Baird et al, 14-19 Centre Research Study: Educational Reform in Schools and Colleges in England. Report for the QCDA. Rose, J. (2011b). Dilemmas of inter-professional collaboration: can they be resolved? Children and Society, 25(2), 151-163. Taket, A. and White, L. (2000) Partnership and Participation. Chichester: Wiley.