Rethinking school partnerships: Lessons from RGS Newcastle
30/01/26
In the latest episode of The Schools North East Podcast, we dive into something too often overlooked in education: true partnership. We were joined by John Smith, Director of Partnerships, and Geoffrey Stanford, Head Teacher, from the Royal Grammar School (RGS) Newcastle.
RGS Newcastle isn’t just an independent school — it’s a hub for collaboration. Over the past few years, they’ve developed a two-way partnership model connecting with more than 100 state schools across the North East, reaching over 10,000 young people a year, many from areas facing significant disadvantage. This isn’t about “filling gaps” in schools; it’s about addressing the structural inequalities that exist between regions.
A prime example of LEAD, NOT PLEAD
In a region where attracting subject specialists is a challenge and national systems rarely compensate for local realities, RGS has deliberately stepped in — at scale and in partnership.
Their approach moves beyond goodwill or short-term projects. Instead, they co-create and co-commission initiatives, funded by businesses, charities, and national bodies, measuring impact in years, not photos. It’s a prime example of how schools in the North East ‘Lead not Plead’.
This conversation asks a bigger question: what could a healthy, place-based education ecosystem look like, and who is responsible for building it? By sharing their experience, RGS challenges the myth that schools are divided into sectors with competing interests. In reality, partnership done right can correct structural inequalities — not through charity, but through mutual benefit and shared responsibility.
If you want to see what happens when schools ask, “What do we owe our place?” rather than “What can we offer?”, this episode is a must-listen.
Listen, reflect, and challenge your assumptions — because that’s how systems change for the better.