The Independent Schools Council (ISC) launched the 2024 Celebrating Partnerships annual report at the House of Lords earlier this week to highlight thousands of successful collaborative projects that exist between schools across the United Kingdom. The 'Celebrating Partnerships’ event was hosted by Lord Lucas and recognised the many ways in which schools from different sectors collaborate to create educational opportunities for all pupils and staff involved.

Chief Executive Julie Robinson and Dr Joe Spence, the incoming CEO of the Schools Partnership Alliance, were spearheading the launch of the report highlighting the significant contribution that independent schools make across the United Kingdom.

The new report highlights Robert Gordon’s College ground-breaking programme RGC Online, which is supporting the future growth of the Scottish tech ecosystem by offering students across Scotland access to study live-taught Higher Computing Science and Higher Applications of Mathematics from any location within Scotland.

Laura Presslie, Director of Advancement, was in attendance and shared: "It has been interesting to work with sector bodies that are supporting the charitable interests of schools across the UK. The Independent Schools Council has been working hard to demonstrate the huge amount of work that goes into extending the reach of education to children and young adults.”

“The report launched this week shows the power of partnerships and how schools are using partnerships to maximise opportunities for young people in the arts, sport, languages, science, technology, and the many more ways that schools impact the lives of young people. It was great to see Robert Gordon's College recognised as a forward-thinking school that is committed to making a difference as a charity that fulfils the philanthropic goals it was set up to achieve, enabling young people to follow their passions and make a difference in the world.

“We are delighted to see RGC Online feature as we extend the reach of our online school to partner with more schools and local authorities across the country to ensure young people can access the courses and qualifications they would like to study.”

Julie Robinson, ISC Chief Executive, said: “It is a pleasure to celebrate the inspiring initiatives featured in this year’s Celebrating Partnerships report, which demonstrate the power of working together to achieve key educational aims. We hope these mutually beneficial partnerships continue to thrive, reaching even greater numbers of children and young people.”

Robin Macpherson, Head of College, added: “This ISC document demonstrates the incredible breadth of support that the independent sector provides the state sector. We're proud to feature so prominently for the work we are doing in RGC Online, which is just one part of the many public benefit initiatives we undertake in line with our charitable purpose. RGC has a long and impressive history of contributing to the wider world of education, and this continues to be a priority for us."