Partnerships Networking
Go to
funded.org.uk/ partnerships for
OPPORTUNITIES SEIZING
Once you’ve built relationships with businesses and established regular dialogue, the next step is to identify ways to work strategically together to enrich learning opportunities. by Sam Baker
P
artnership projects can arise in a number of ways, but generally these are: a school-led initiative
intended to meet a particular need; a partner-led initiative where a business presents a scheme or opportunity that they want to share of recognising shared aims or values, and exploring how best to utilise each other’s strengths. Let me share some examples...
School-led initiative: school garden A few years ago, our SEN department ran a basic animal husbandry and horticultural management course and was able to raised beds, and chicken run. But the course was only delivered for a
advice on establishing a business partnerships scheme – including
who might form your internal team.
year and the area now lies fallow and overgrown. In the meantime, the school’s autism unit was developing a sensory area for students and was keen to extend the experience by resurrecting the gardens and creating a planted sensory patch. The consensus was that, with some professional input, the areas could the whole school. There were enough successful precedents of schools supplying their kitchens with produce to encourage us to think big! Our requirements for professional
help and sponsorship were related to three areas – experience, manpower and stock. We needed experienced help to redesign the area so that it is sustainable, incorporates the resources we already have, and meets the requirements of the autism unit, along with any other plans for expansion; we required muscle and machinery to clear the space and renovate the existing infrastructure and to prepare the ground for planting; and we also plants, trees, chickens, compost and so on, to get the project well and truly off the ground.
business partners, The Landscape Partnership, to gauge their interest. Their director has two children at the school and is a long-standing supporter of our partnership, but called on him for practical help. He was very keen to bring experience and resources to the project for the heavy duty stuff. The next organisation we approached isn’t one of our partners, but is a charity called Groundworks, which supports community garden projects. They have a wealth of experience not just in administration but also in generating backing from the wider community and accessing further puzzle related to stock, and here (on the strength of a sound project
FundEd SPRING 2017 43
IMAGES: SHOO_ARTS; GIGAVECTOR/
THINKSTOCK.CO.UK
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