At this year’s Liberal Democrat Party Conference, the Education Policy Institute has partnered with ISC to hold a public panel on: ‘The role of state-independent partnerships in delivering teaching excellence through shared expertise’
Great teaching is the most important lever schools have to improve pupil attainment. However, the school workforce is facing significant challenges: recruitment targets have been missed every year for the last 10 years; retention rates are continuing to fall and there are a record number of vacancies for secondary teachers. While the Government’s pledge to recruit 6,500 new teachers is welcome, retaining the teachers we already have is key to achieving positive outcomes for children and young people. Without stemming the retention crisis, demand will grow and much expertise and experience will be lost.
The current Government has recognised the need for a much higher number of qualified teachers, implementing the recruitment campaign ‘Every Lesson Shapes a Life’, and offering financial incentives for training and retention. However, beyond national policy efforts, it is worth considering what role cross-sector partnerships can play in bolstering retention.
The evidence suggests that policies focusing on strengthening continuous professional development (CPD) quality and access could have a significant impact on retention. In their manifesto, the Liberal Democrats recognised this value, pledging to introduce a clear and properly funded programme of high-quality professional development for all teachers. Many partnerships between independent and state schools (ISSPs) promote this focus: in 2025, independent schools had 633 members of staff serving as governors at state schools, and participated in 326 teacher training events with local state school teachers, while recent EPI analysis of two ISSP case studies found that teachers across the partnerships reported benefitting from CPD opportunities. Amidst the current political focus on the role of independent schools, it is timely to explore how the independent sector and state sectors can work together to build upon these partnerships to promote access to high-quality CPD and expertise sharing within and across both sectors.
This panel will bring together politicians, school leaders and other education stakeholders to discuss the role that ISSPs can play in supporting teacher professional development and strengthening the teacher workforce. Panellists will consider which areas offer the most potential for resource and expertise sharing; how to go about building these targeted partnerships, given geographic and economic disparities; how ISSPs might support the delivery of Liberal Democrat pledges, and ultimately, how partnerships can result in the best possible outcomes for pupils at all schools.
Speakers will be announced in due course.
** Note: This event will take place in the conference secure zone. To access the secure zone you will need to obtain a pass directly from the Liberal Democrat Party.**
