12:00 pm
Sir Alan Steer: I think that the development of partnerships in schools is one of the most exciting possibilities. It is something we have been searching for in the system for a good number of years, and it is certainly very much in line with the thinking behind the children’s plan. My concern is that we can approve of the concept of partnership—it is a word to which we can give nothing but approval—but when we scratch it we sometimes find that it does not actually exist.
In my opinion, schools need to work in partnership. I was an autonomous head teacher for 23 years and loved it—well, I was an autonomous head teacher for 18 of those years and loved it, but for the first five years I was not. I would never want to take that autonomy away from schools, as it has been beneficial for them and for children. Autonomy, in my book, has to exist within certain parameters, and we should tell schools that we expect a certain minimum element of co-operation, because that not only meets the needs of children in the wider community, but is helpful for schools.
I am interested in the concept of schools creating the capacity to be able to pick up problems through joint appointments between them, as suggested in the children’s plan. As a head teacher, I could have used a psychiatric social worker but would not have been able to keep them in full-time occupation. However, if I had been in partnership with three or four schools and had easy access to someone who could pick up problems and then perhaps help the child or school through the system, the benefits would have been enormous. I think that it is right and proper to say to schools, “Yes, you ought to work in partnership.” I do not think they should do that at too high a level, because the autonomy of schools is very important, but they have to work inside a community. They are not just separate items but are responsible to the community and to each other.