HMC and IDPE School Bursaries and Partnerships Conference

Bursaries provide life-changing opportunities for young people; partnerships offer the opportunity to share resources and expertise to enhance learning opportunities between schools and the wider community. 

Yet, bursary and partnership programmes must be about more than demonstrating the social conscience of a school – they provide life-changing experiences for our young people, greater socio-economic diversity within our schools, strengthen the connections with our communities, and can be an extraordinary force for change.

Why attend?

The biannual HMC and IDPE 2024 School Bursaries and Partnerships Conference is designed to support heads, bursars, governors, directors of development, and directors of partnerships and community engagement, to establish and develop successful bursary and partnership programmes.

The cost-of-living crisis, VAT on independent school fees,  funding gaps, and the legacy of the COVID pandemic mean that many schools are already having to make difficult decisions about prioritisation within stretched budgets. Yet as educational leaders, we have a commitment to working together to truly address the widening gap in educational attainment between children from disadvantaged backgrounds and their peers. Through strengthening our partnerships and fulfilling our bursary missions, we can build aspiration across communities and improve the outcomes for all our young people.

Programme

Combining plenary sessions that discuss the big questions, such as how schools can influence social mobility, to informative breakout sessions exploring sector-wide trends and opportunities, the conference programme includes something for everyone, no matter where your school is on your bursary and partnerships journey.

The next school bursaries and partnerships conference will take place in January 2026

Join us at the HMC and IDPE 2026 School Bursaries and Partnerships Conference, to find out how your school can support more young people to achieve their academic and life ambitions. 

More details coming soon...