EEF announces six new Research Schools

Six schools are to be provided with funding as they join the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) Research Schools project, which aims to generate evidence-based insights into better systems of teaching across the UK.

Meols Cop High School in Southport, Samuel Ward Academy Trust in Suffolk, Rosendale Primary School in London, The Academy at Shotton Hall in County Durham, Sandringham School in Hertfordshire and Durrington High School in West Sussex have been selected as the newest Research Schools following a competitive application process.

Organised by the EEF and the Institute for Effective Education, the scheme will see each school receive £200,000 in funding over three years to help them become focal points of evidence-based practice in their respective regions, while building networks between large numbers of schools.

The overall aim of the project is to empower schools to generate research evidence that can make a tangible difference in the classroom, with the first five Research Schools announced in October 2016.

Since then, they have helped to deliver a range of activities nationally to help teachers use research to improve their teaching, including programmes to help schools make the most of teaching assistants, training to support early-years literacy, and backing to develop Research School leads.

Sir Kevan Collins, chief executive of the Education Endowment Foundation, said: "For years, the worlds of education research and classroom teaching have been too far apart ... Research Schools 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 can make all the difference."

The government committed funding for new Research Schools in all 12 opportunity area regions of England, where social mobility is low. Further details of these selections will be provided later this year.