HEADTEACHERS from Dorchester will speak about the success of a local partnership at a national conference.

Mike Foley from the Thomas Hardye School and Sunninghill Preparatory School’s Andrew Roberts-Wray will talk about the Dorchester Area Schools Partnership (DASP) at The Independent/State Schools Conference (ISSP) next week.

The conference celebrates the best examples of successful partnerships between independent and state schools and promotes best practice.

Key speakers at the event will include Parliamentary Under Secretary for Schools Lord Nash and Sir Pete Lampl, chairman of the Sutton Trust that aims to improve social mobility through raising education standards.

The programme of the ISSP conference is entitled ‘Successful Cross Sector Partnerships’ and will also feature high profile speakers from Ofsted, the Independent Schools Inspectorate, the Wellcome Trust, the Independent Schools Council and London Gifted and Talented.

DASP recently gained national attention when it won an Independent Schools Award for best independent-maintained schools collaboration, a category that had over 30 entrants.

Mr Foley and Mr Roberts-Wray will talk about how the partnership works to break down social barriers and improve educational opportunities for pupils in the Dorchester area.

Their speech will include students’ opinions and experiences, which are represented through the DASP Student Voice.

Both headteachers said they were looking forward to highlighting the good work that DASP has achieved over the years on a national platform and they hoped to inspire other schools to follow the example they had set.

Mr Roberts-Wray said: “This is a fantastic opportunity to showcase DASP to a very influential group of educationalists.”

DASP currently includes 19 educational establishments from Dorchester and the surrounding area. The partnership runs through every level of the schools from governors, heads and staff to pupils across every age group.