First early years setting joins Research Schools network

The nursery school, in collaboration with Kesgrave and Farlingaye Teaching School Alliance and Springfield Teaching School Alliance, has been chosen as a Research School for Ipswich – one of the Government’s 12 social mobility Opportunity Areas.

It will receive £20,000 of funding to build and strengthen networks of schools and boost the quality of training.

The education secretary Damian Hinds made the announcement as Ipswich Opportunity Area’s plan, which sets out a series of targets to improve outcomes for young people in the region, was published.

Part-funded through the Government’s Opportunity Area programme and part of a joint initiative between the Education Endowment Fund (EEF) and the Institute for Effective Education (IEE), the aim of Research Schools is to build networks between schools in their area and develop a programme of support and events to get more teachers using research evidence more effectively.

The new Research School joins a growing network of 23 Research Schools across England, a number of which are in Opportunity Areas – areas identified as social mobility ‘cold spots’.

However, Highfield Nursery school is the first early years setting to join the Research Schools network.

Strategic director of Highfield Nursery School Lil Newton said ‘We’re delighted to be joining the Research Schools network. This is a great opportunity to improve outcomes for all pupils in our region. Over the next three years we’ll work with local schools to break down barriers and make sure that evidence of “what works” has a real impact on classroom practice.’

The first five Research Schools were announced in October 2016, with a further six established in January 2017 and another 11 in July 2017.

Since then, they have delivered a wide range of activities nationally to help teachers to use research to improve their teaching. They include programme to help schools make the most of teaching assistants, training to support literacy in the early years and an initiative to develop research leads to spearhead the use of evidence in the classroom.

Sir Kevan Collins, chief executive of the Education Endownment Foundation (EEF), said, ‘For years, the worlds of education research and classroom teaching have been too far apart. The EEF’s mission has been to make research more accessible to teachers through our Teaching and Learning Toolkit, teacher guidance reports and other resources.

‘Research Schools like Highfield are breaking down these barriers even more so that research doesn’t stay in the pages of academic journals but has a real impact on classroom practice. Putting teachers in the driving seat and making use of their practical experience and local insight can make all the difference.’

Councillor Gordon Jones, Suffolk County Council’s cabinet member for Children’s Services, Education and Skills, said, ‘We are thrilled to welcome a second Research School to Suffolk and the first Early Years setting to join the network nationally. Through our work with Evidence Based Education and the EEF’s Research Lead Programme, our Raising the Bar programme has contributed to the successful appointment of the Ipswich Research School. 

‘The new research school will help to achieve our ambition to develop a community of teachers across Suffolk who are actively involved in using research to offer the best possible learning approaches and further improve outcomes for children in Suffolk, through the working relationships already established within the School to School Support Partnership and the Samuel Ward Research school.’