The Department for Education and Skills refers consistently to the Social Partnership Agreement (SPA) with unions representing teachers and support staff in education. Those inside the partnership will have their own perspectives on its operation. This article does not seek to describe, therefore, the day to day relationships of unions, Government and employers within the SPA nor is it about unions outside the agreement. Rather the article's purpose is to seek to place the idea of social partnership within a wider context. It examines the origins of the idea of social partnership, explores briefly the implications of the SPA and asks questions as a contribution to further debate.