Around 300 schools across 10 regions of England have joined “regional partnerships” designed to improve teaching and educational outcomes.
The partnerships, funded with £700,000 via the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF), will focus on pupils from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds.
Each two-year partnership will be led by an EEF-supported local research school, which will work with selected schools that champion the use of “evidence-informed education” in their area.
And each research school has teamed up with local authorities and multi-academy trusts to identify and address a specific challenge facing disadvantaged pupils in their area.
In one of the partnerships, Manchester Communication Research School is working with Manchester City Council to address a research finding that disadvantaged pupils in the area’s primary schools have low writing outcomes.
They have designed a partnership with CLIC multi-academy trust that will support 30 primary schools to improve their writing provision.
The partnership will build local networks, host events and support participating schools with training, peer-shadowing and monitoring so that they can provide more opportunities for developing writing skills across different subjects.
Chris Paterson, co-chief executive of the EEF, said: “We know that educators up and down the country understand the importance of rooting their teaching in well-evidenced approaches. But taking something from theory to practice isn’t always straightforward.”
The new partnerships, and the EEF’s wider research schools network, “offer the chance for schools to share their expertise and build a community of shared learning of what really works”, he said.
For the latest education news and analysis delivered every weekday morning, sign up for the Tes Daily newsletter
Want to keep reading for free?
Register with Tes and you can read two free articles every month plus you'll have access to our range of award-winning newsletters.
