Institute of Service and Partnerships

The ethos of Service and Partnerships is central to the Sevenoaks education as we strive to be true to the aims of our Founder, William Sevenoke, and benefit the community. The mission of the Institute of Service and Partnerships (ISP) is to create positive, inclusive, and sustainable social change, incorporating service as a central pillar of a Sevenoaks education.

How we work

Working in partnership with other schools, teachers, students, and the community, the ISP helps advance educational innovation and opportunity, and nurture socially engaged young citizens to create a fairer global society.

Our principles:

We are informed, collaborative, sustainable, inclusive, and reflective
We embed concepts of service, active citizenship, human rights and environmental sustainability education into the curriculum
We develop knowledge, skills and insight needed to become active and informed citizens
We work with partners in creating transformational educational opportunities
We act as a role model for members of our school and wider community with respect to social and environmental impact
We operate collaboratively with other schools to advance practice in this field across the national and international education sectors

The ISP has four core strands:

Environmental Sustainability
Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
Educational Partnerships
Student-Led Projects

Service in the curriculum

Students across the school receive service education within the curriculum.

Year 7	Students learn about Society and Change in weekly lessons.
Year 8	Students are given an opportunity to work as part of a team to design a Social Entrepreneurship Project.
Year 9	Students undertake an Advocacy Project in Core Critical Thinking.
Years 10-13	Students undertake Thursday afternoon Service activities, alongside Core Critical Thinking and Theory of Knowledge.

Service in the co-curriculum

Outside of the classroom, many students also offer their own time and energy to wider ISP initiatives such as the Eco Committee, Junior Eco Club, Education Society, EDI Action Committee, organising themed weeks and other events each year.

Partnerships

We have a wide range of local and global partnerships helping communities in and around Sevenoaks as well as internationally.

A significant number of our students work collaboratively to organise their own community projects to raise funds for and awareness of local and international charities.

Locally, we have close partnerships with primary schools through the Sevenoaks Partnership of Primary Schools, and with secondary schools through the Kent Academies Network and Knole Academy.

Globally, we engage in partnerships to promote sustainable development and cultural understanding.

Students provide regular weekly support as well as fundraising for community-led projects. We also operate annual educational trips to countries where we have partnerships, including Morocco and South Africa.

Students in service groups collaborate with organisations like EduSpots, supporting community-led education spaces and deliver STEM and literacy programs. Students also work with local artists, participate in conservation efforts, and raise funds for Education for All in Morocco. Through these global programs, Sevenoaks School aims to foster global citizenship, promote education, and address issues such as poverty, gender inequality, and conservation.

“Please pass on my thanks to all involved in the organisation of the Chess Tournament on Wednesday afternoon - it was a super event that all the pupils from Fordcombe enjoyed taking part in. Many thanks for all the support that Sevenoaks school gives to local primary schools - what you do is very special.”
Chris Blackburn - Fordcombe CE Primary School

“My sincerest gratitude to the students at Sevenoaks School. Their positive attitude has supported Oak Class to fully engage in a range of outstanding coding lessons. These sessions have clearly taken time and effort to plan and resource. To see the joy on the pupils' faces makes it so worthwhile. ”
Teacher - Ightham Primary School