ITE partnership stories: Introduction

A short history of partnership in Initial Teacher Education

Initial teacher education (ITE) partnership has long been recognised as a central feature of teacher preparation internationally (Adams, 2023). In England, collaboration between schools and universities dates back to the mid-20th century and was formally established in 1992 (Furlong et al., 2006). Partnership arrangements shape programme design and organisation, with partnership understood both as a pedagogical approach and a structural framework (Mutton, 2015).

As an increasing emphasis has been placed on the school-based element of new teacher learning in recent decades, a range of partnership models have emerged (Vanassche et al., 2019). Some place greater emphasis on university-led curriculum design, others highlight complementary roles, and others encourage joint planning and shared responsibility between school and university staff (Furlong et al., 2000; Smith et al., 2005). Given the wide variation in educational and policy contexts, defining a single optimal model is problematic (Adams, 2023).

The basis of strong partnerships

Whilst models of partnership may vary, research highlights that strong partnerships rely on a shared understanding of how new teachers learn, clarity of roles, and recognition of the distinct expertise that partners contribute (Darling-Hammond, 2006; Perry et al., 2019). What unites school-university partnerships is their position at the intersection of theory, research, and practice, supporting student teachers to connect different forms of professional knowledge (Livingston & Waters-Davies, 2024).

Partnerships in the modern day

Recent policy shifts, notably the ITT Market Review and reaccreditation requirements (DfE, 2021), have brought renewed focus to how schools and universities collaborate. The sector must foreground the development of shared epistemology - what new teachers need to know and how they learn - as the foundation from which roles and responsibilities, and partnership can be meaningfully negotiated (Adams, 2023).

ITE partnerships at the UCL Institute of Education (IOE)

At a time when national policy increasingly positions ITE within tightly prescribed frameworks, strong school–university partnerships remain critical spaces of professional agency, intellectual enquiry and shared moral purpose. By working together, IOE and its partners are not only preparing new teachers for London’s educational settings but making a significant contribution to shaping the future of the profession nationally and internationally. In doing so, we endeavour to ensure new teachers are better prepared, better supported and better placed to thrive in the teaching profession.

Across our ITE programmes, partners take shared responsibility to help design and provide teaching placements that:

• develop student teachers’ subject- and phase-specific expertise.
• challenge and support student teachers to develop a deep understanding of evidence and practice.
• support student teachers to integrate critical and scholarly thinking with their teaching so they are equipped to make values-led and evidence-informed decisions.
• draw on the expertise of both university tutors and mentors in practice settings
• recognise, and capitalise on, the wealth of knowledge and diverse experiences of student teachers and mentors.
• have student teacher fulfilment and well-being at their core.

Student teachers benefit from the distinct learning environments of both IOE and placement settings. Coherence between these spaces is created through high-quality partnership working and a shared commitment to an educative approach to mentoring.  

Jane Tillin
Strategic Partnerships Development Lead for Initial Teacher Education