Partnerships in the School of Education and Childhood
Our partnerships
In Education and Childhood, our partnerships are key to everything we do. We work with a large number of valued partners locally, nationally and internationally, in schools, Early Years settings, community and cultural organisations, civic partners and businesses. Our partners work with us in a shared endeavour to make a difference, to students, to our programmes, and to the communities they support.
UK partnerships and projects
Schools and teacher education
Partnership projects with educators, educational institutions and organisations create outstanding opportunities for their children and young people and for our students. Our partners benefit directly from our trainees’ enthusiasm and professionalism and from our alumni networks which represent our long-term relationships with many schools. A number of our partnership projects also involve collaborative research. We work together to improve education, and support communities and organisations.
Our partnerships offer schools, colleges, and Early Years settings an active role in training future teachers and accessing professional development opportunities for their staff.
In collaboration with our partners, we prepare new teachers to:
- reflect on their teaching and learn from effective practices
- be knowledgeable, adaptable, creative, and independent
- communicate sensitively and effectively.
Our trainees meet essential training requirements and gain additional experiences that equip them to support the diverse needs of pupils.
We value our partnerships with over 400 educational settings across the South West and beyond and look forward to building new collaborations.
Pupil, schools and student enrichment partnerships
- Boosting Reading@Primary: In partnership with 30+ primary schools, UWE trainee teachers work with individual children to support their reading achievement using a highly successful intervention programme.
- Special Education Needs: Working in partnership with SEN settings we facilitate specialist placements for teacher trainees with an interest in SEN provision.
- Advanced Mathematics Support Programme: Secondary Maths trainee teachers work in partnership with local schools to support a Y8/9 girls enrichment event.
- Primary Engineer: UWE Education and Engineering students take engineering into primary classrooms, inspiring pupils and their teachers through whole class project work, competitions and exhibitions.
- English Network Group: UWE Bristol English Network Group is a subject network for English subject specialists to come together to consider and discuss evidence-based practices in relation to English teaching and learning. This network operates across schools and the university through building connections and providing collaborative research opportunities.
- Schools Together ‘Bristol Education Partnership’: Four state schools, five independent schools, a sixth form college, two universities and Bristol City Council work in partnership to improve the outcomes of children and young people in the city.
Equity projects
- Raise the Bar: An annual event aimed at bridging the gap between schools and Higher Education for minoritised students. Workshops support students to consider barriers and enablers to success in education.
- Joy Trail: We are here to disrupt the dominant, single-story narratives of trauma and social justice of Black stories in the school curriculum. Our project works towards addressing this educational injustice by providing a culturally competent intervention for schools which centres, celebrates and cultivates Black joy through local, experiential learning.
- Lit. Legacies: Lit. Legacies is a project that aims to remove barriers faced by secondary school teachers to teaching Black British literature. Curriculum materials have been curated by a group of Black British teachers who are also building a CPD offer to develop racial literacy and pedagogical approaches.
- The Racialised Experiences Project: Education, Children and Trust (RESPECT): RESPECT seeks to amplify the often overlooked racialised experiences of children to promote greater social justice. The team have worked with a number of organisations including schools, Somerset and Avon Constabulary, CAMHS, the NHS mental health services for children and young people and NHS Social Workers.
Colleges and university partners
- City of Bristol College: We partner with CoBC on our Cert HE Inclusive Practice in Education and Youth Work, FdA Inclusive Education and FdA Youth and Community Work, delivered by City of Bristol College.
- Sheffield Hallam University: Sheffield Hallam are our accredited partners for the QTS elements of our programmes. We work closely together to share good practice and ensure the quality of our programmes.
Early education, community and accreditation partners
Our wider partnerships are part of our values-based involvement with a range of projects, organisations and accreditation partners.
Accreditation partners
- Career Development Institute (CDI): We are an affiliate organisation and a QCD Centre as part of our Career Development programmes
- Advance HE: Our Postgraduate award in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education for UWE Bristol staff and our partners leads to Advance HE Fellowship.
Early education
- Early Years Educator Network: This group of partner settings, who provide placement opportunities for our Early Years students, meet to share practice expertise and experiences and to organise events and research and education opportunities.
- 'Making a Beeline for Early Childhood': Our Early Years partners bring children, parents and practitioners to join staff, students and the UWE Bristol grounds team on Frenchay campus for nature-related exploration activities including UWE Bristol's beeline project, a picnic, and gardening.
Sustainability
- Global Goals Centre: We partner with this Bristol based environmental education charity, supporting the development and delivery of research informed education to formal and informal settings. The GGC and Arts Space Life Space joined forces to open Sparks, Bristol – a sustainable department store in the heart of the city.
International partnerships
International schools
Our suite of practice-focused Teacher Education and development programmes involves partnerships with schools and organisations in over 20 countries. Our courses span a range of enhancement needs and fee points for educators, schools and education organisations and include:
- iPGCE, iPGCE (Early Years)
- iQTS (PGCE), iQTS
- MA Education
- PG Certificate/Diploma/MA Career Development.
Why work with us?
Work with the Education team at UWE Bristol to:
- train, retain and develop local talent
- develop skilled and creative teachers
- maximise outcomes for pupils.
International education partnerships
We have both long-established and newer partnerships with a range of education organisations and projects internationally.
International education partnerships
- Global College of Engineering and Technology (GCET), Muscat, Oman: We deliver our Postgraduate Certificate in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education (PGCert LTHE) to academic staff at GCET, who teach UWE Bristol programmes to their students.
- Project Zulu, South Africa: This longstanding partnership has evolved close links with Primary and Secondary schools in South Africa, providing experiential learning opportunities for school pupils and trainee teachers from both countries. The project has developed academic relationships leading to joint research. Partnership with the University of Zululand promises to continue to deliver international sharing of expertise and knowledge.
- School of Higher and Professional Education (SHAPE), Hong Kong: We partner with expert educators at SHAPE to deliver Early Childhood provision in Hong Kong. This is an enriching collaboration which benefits students and the children they go on to work with.
- Daughters of Africa (DAIGO), Gambia: Working in partnership with UWE's DAIGO project and the Gambian charity 'Daughters of Africa', we have created international placement opportunities for students on the BA Education and the BA Early Childhood programmes. Students explore the challenges and opportunities facing learners in Gambia through a collaborative enquiry with Gambian youth leaders. By placing collaboration at the heart of the project we engender a strong sense of mutual respect.
Be a new partner
If you are interested in working with the University as a new partner, please contact partnership@uwe.ac.uk stating your name and email and we will get back to you with further details.