The partnership and collaboration between independent and state schools through sport, art, culture and physical activity reflects a 32-year journey of sport for development in the lives and communities of disadvantage and disaffection locally, nationally and internationally.

The Headmasters Conference (HMC) activity focuses on key themes including:

• public benefit

• future of education

• pupil participation in sport

• pastoral care

• equality, diversity and inclusion

The Independent Schools Council (ISC) Schools Together programme builds Independent / state school partnerships help to:

• build relationships between schools so they can share valuable resources and knowledge.

• enable staff from different organisations to collaborate, share expertise and engage in Continuing Professional Development opportunities.

• enable pupils from different backgrounds to learn learn together and build mutual respect for each other.

The Youth Charter’s early work in the area of Moss Side and Hulme, Manchester saw its first youth and community engagement projects and programmes established with the Independent Schools of Manchester Grammar, Hulme Grammar, Withington Girls School, St Bedes College, Stockport Grammar School, Cheadle Hulme School and Bolton School as a legacy of the Manchester 2000 Olympic and Paralympic Games Bid and 2002 Commonwealth Games.

The social, cultural and economic issues along with the gang culture at the time saw the area featured in the Times Sunday supplement and likened to LA and Beirut, following which, a meeting was convened with the heads of each of the schools in the unique 1.5 square mile geographic boundary.

The issues that were identified by the independent and state schools ranged from pupil intimidation, anti-social youth culture behaviour to vandalism of school property with break-ins affecting the student life experience.

As a result of a landmark meeting, the independent schools agreed to make their facilities available as part of a unique multi agency stakeholder relationship with Hulme Regeneration, the City Council, the Manchester Development Corporation and the Manchester 2002 Commonwealth Games Organising Committee.

This pioneering approach established a regeneration and renewal youth and community engagement model replicated locally, nationally and internationally.

The independent state school partnership was at the very heart of the educational characteristic and culture that provided the golden thread and realisation of the Youth Charter’s classroom, playground and beyond the school gate ‘YouthWise’ Programme developed. This provided informal and formal educational and extra-curricular learning behaviour, attainment and performance for pupils and the school as a whole.

The Youth Charter is working in an exciting collaboration with the independent and state school sector and Schools Partnerships whereby they will sign up to the Community Campus to highlight, promote and evidence the impact of sport, art, physical activity in particular and positive effect it is having in the lives of young people in the community especially those of disadvantage and disaffection. The Community Campus will map, track and measure the participation outputs and

project/programme initiative outcomes of sustainable impact that in turn will see a more efficient and effective use of resources at all levels of the education eco-system and uniquely bench-marked against the UN 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.