Research and Development
Research and Development
Evidence based research is used to link school improvement priorities. This has served to develop a culture of enquiry across the school, with staff supporting each other within this model. More recently, we have begun to unpick, with staff in school and across our partnerships, how to build a wider evidence base to inform future practice with a deeper element of validity.
Our current engagement with this includes:
- whole staff involvement promoted through appraisal systems with targets for all staff around collecting an evidence base from their own classrooms to improve intervention practice and better meet the needs of vulnerable groups
- the school has an R&D lead who attends National College for Teaching and Learning (NCTL) conferences and events. This provides follow up CPD for staff surrounding research methodology
- trained facilitators at Gatley Primary School who have implemented the National Professional Qualification programmes for middle leaders, senior leaders and aspiring heads. This includes developing participants understanding of how to instigate change in a measured and quantifiable way in their own settings. This is further shared through online learning mechanisms and reflections on theory
Research and development undertaken across partnerships:
- schools are part of the national ‘Closing the Gap’ project and are developing their understanding of how to conduct randomised controlled trials when trialing intervention with vulnerable groups
- the partnership deputies implemented a ‘test and learn’ model to review their teaching and learning policies and bring about a co-constructed and ‘living’ mantra for outstanding teaching. This process was captured by Manchester Metropolitan University for their own research project 'MMU Unlocked'
- trial coordinators have been identified in each school to consult with the alliance R&D lead regarding the collation of evidence and each lead is co-ordinating a research project (a Randomised Control Trial – RCT).
