Our Mission, Values and 2030 Strategy
Our mission is to reduce educational inequality and improve the life chances of all children. Through collaboration, challenge and leadership development, we are working to ensure every school community can benefit from the combined wisdom of the education system
At Challenge Partners, we believe every child deserves an excellent education which enables them to flourish, and their communities to thrive. Across England, we support schools and trusts to evaluate, improve, and share leading practice, so that excellence becomes the norm. Our national programmes and network of local Hubs drive upwards convergence in performance, reduce regional disparities, and build leadership and improvement capacity at scale. This transforms the life chances of all pupils, with the greatest benefits for those facing the biggest challenges, whether arising from disadvantage or special educational needs.
We aim to benefit half a million pupils each year and are already on track to make this ambitious goal a reality, while advancing the shared aims of the teachers and leaders in our partnership:
Schools and trusts in our partnership share six values which underpin everything we do:
Excellence
We are always looking for ways to improve because we are determined to achieve the best for every child, teacher and leader
Equity
We seek the best for every child, and know that those who have the least need our combined expertise the most
Collaboration
We listen to, share with, and learn from each other, developing our practice together so that every child benefits from our combined wisdom and creativity
Challenge
We expect the best of ourselves and each other, and value challenge which helps us improve
Innovation
We use and generate research, we innovate with discipline and evaluate intelligently in pursuit of better outcomes for all children, especially the most disadvantaged
Courageous Leadership
We speak up and take responsibility for all children, making sure that we do not harm others in doing our best for our own schools
Our unique approach is predicated on:
Being practitioner led
Challenge Partners was founded by headteachers in 2011 and practitioner leadership is integral to our governance and operations. This ensures our activities reflect, shape and respond to the real needs of teachers and leaders
Improving and sharing leading practice
We systematically identify and spread excellent practice to reduce the variability and drive the best to grow further
Creating sustainable solutions
We know there are no quick fixes and our partnership supports schools and trusts in the long-haul of deep and sustainable school improvement
A national network of local and regional partnerships
We strengthen and harness local partnerships and provide resources to meet local needs. We connect schools, trusts and local partnerships in a national Network of Excellence to tackle regional disparities, and create a model and voice for national reform
Accessing the best from business and beyond
We harness strong business and international models where they can stretch our schools and trust, and/or enhance our operations
Our 2030 Strategy
In 2023, we announced our ambition to reach 500,000 pupils annually by 2027. We are on track, reaching 420,000 pupils - including around 130,000 eligible for Free School Meals - by December 2024. Our new strategy builds on this success and extends our ambition to 2030, with an even sharper focus on tackling disadvantage, strengthening inclusion, and shaping the wider education system. Additionally, at the insistence of our Education Advisory Group, a major focus of our strategy is strengthening our influence on policy and the wider education system.
Our aim is to embed our approach in some of the country’s most deprived communities and schools, with an initial focus on accelerating the growth of Challenge Partners Hubs in the North East, West Midlands, and South Yorkshire. This will complement our already-strong presence in the North West, East Midlands and across the South.