An introduction to coaching: How to make ‘Every Conversation’ in your school more impactful

Coaching is one of our most powerful approaches to professional development and leadership.  The benefits of coaching are well documented, this workshop will ‘get under the hood’ of how you can implement and embed coaching in the conversations that happen in your school – starting with the conversation you have with yourself. Additional information: Delegate fees: […]

Embedding a culture of research: Contexts and challenges

This discussion, based on some of the key themes of Autumn’s issue of Impact, will ask the big questions about research and the teaching profession, with a focus on the robustness, reliability and relevance of research findings for varied education settings and the children they serve. Our guest-editor-led panel will be made up of Issue […]

From the Editor

PROFESSOR TANYA OVENDEN-HOPE, PROFESSOR OF EDUCATION AND DEAN OF PLACE AND SOCIAL PURPOSE, PLYMOUTH MARJON UNIVERSITY; BERA COUNCIL MEMBER AND BERA SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP CONVENOR, UK Evidence-based and evidence-informed teaching have become increasingly important aspects of educational practice and policy in the UK, with a growing emphasis on teachers as researchers and schools as research collaborators. […]

Schools as learning organisations: A framework to improve research engagement

MARK LESWELL, RESEARCH LEAD, SWALE ACADEMIES TRUST, UK Introduction As the education system in England strives to become more evidence-informed, the role of research engagement in schools has become increasingly important. However, despite growing interest and efforts to include research in decision-making processes, the effectiveness of research use and the evaluation of evidence bases remain questionable. […]

Leading quality use of research in schools

JOANNE GLEESON, MARK RICKINSON, LUCAS WALSH AND BLAKE CUTLER, FACULTY OF EDUCATION, MONASH UNIVERSITY, AUSTRALIA Introduction Internationally, educators and education systems are becoming increasingly aware that using research can improve their work (e.g. OECD, 2022). Previous studies provide powerful reasons for educators to use research, showing links to better teaching skills and improved and more equitable […]

Criticality in evidence-informed teaching: Expansive learning with Rosenshine

CHRISTIAN BOKHOVE AND ROSALYN HYDE, UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHAMPTON, UK As educators, we have noticed that there is sometimes an uncritical adoption of evidence since what some have called an ‘evidence-informed revolution’. A case in point can be found in the work of Barak Rosenshine, which has been extremely influential in schools, especially in the context […]

Teacher inquiry questions: A trust-wide shift

JO STAWMAN, Head of School, Quest Primary School, UK GEMMA PARKER, Director of School Improvement, The Collegiate Trust, UK Using research evidence is integral to school improvement and good teaching (EEF, 2024). There are multiple sources of research evidence, and in the UK, the 1960s and 1970s saw an emergence of the teacher as researcher, […]

From well-intentioned to evidence-informed: Making the shift on a large scale

MARGARET (MEG) LEE AND MIKE MARKOE, FREDERICK COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS, USA The challenge of becoming evidence-informed Moving a school to become more informed by evidence about how learning happens and how that evidence is best applied is a huge undertaking, which requires a commitment of time, dedication to focused professional growth and collective will to […]

Using research to embed an evidenced-informed pastoral curriculum to support whole school behaviour policies

MOHAMED IBRAHIM, SECONDARY SENDCO, HARRIS FEDERATION, UK Introduction The concept of a ‘hidden’ pastoral curriculum has long been advocated as a solution to the growing national concerns about student misbehaviour. Numerous behaviour experts suggest a curriculum that explicitly teaches positive behaviours rather than merely sanctioning those who fall short. While various models have illustrated effective pastoral […]

Embedding a culture of research in school to engage staff and empower organisational change

GRAHAM CHISNELL FCCT, EDUCATION CONSULTANT AND AUTHOR, UK Developing a culture of research in school empowers staff at every level to influence practice and play an active role in the strategic development of the organisation. Research can enhance the climate of a school in four ways. Relationships strengthen, the learning environment is enhanced, the quality of […]

Cultivating critical expertise: Balancing teacher agency and evidence-informed practice in schools

ANDREW B JONES, THE REACH FREE SCHOOL, UK; THE OPEN UNIVERSITY, UK Introduction The evolving landscape of educational ‘best practice’ emphasises evidence-informed practice (EIP), particularly in its scientific form, for enhancing teaching and learning outcomes (Perry et al., 2021). However, balancing EIP with teacher agency presents challenges. Proponents of EIP argue that teaching should align with […]

The BERA Teacher Network: A positive learning network for collaborative research practice

Luke Donnelly, Head of Year at Pinner High School and BERA Teacher Network Co-Lead, UK Learning networks and why they are important for teacher researchers Learning networks are essential collaborative spaces where professionals connect to share insights, solve problems, and innovate. These networks exist both online and offline, providing a flexible and borderless environment for […]

Facilitating journal clubs for teachers and teaching assistants: Professional collaboration as a route to more effective CPD for supporting students with SEND

Steve Murray, Trust Lead for Data Insights and Research, Trust in Learning Academies (TiLA), Bristol, UK Practitioner effectiveness has long been recognised as a key driver of student achievement (Slater et al., 2012) and thus necessitates impactful continued professional development (CPD). Teaching assistants (TAs) often experience an inconsistent quality of CPD and lack co-planning time […]

Designing a trust-wide professional development programme

RICHARD HARVEY-SWANSTON, SENIOR LECTURER, UNIVERSITY OF BRIGHTON, UK KERRI BURNS, SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT ADVISOR, UNIVERSITY OF BRIGHTON ACADEMIES TRUST, UK TIFF COLE, FACULTY LEAD COACH, UNIVERSITY OF BRIGHTON ACADEMIES TRUST, UK Introduction  Teacher professional development (PD) is a critical factor influencing student outcomes (Cordingly, 2015) and teacher retention (EEF, 2023). While research has extensively explored the characteristics of […]

Revisiting action research as a method for developing confident and autonomous teachers

CLAIRE HARLEY, ORCHARD MEAD ACADEMY, UK; UNIVERSITY OF NOTTINGHAM, UK Introduction  Action research is a broad term for a group of research processes that can be used as teacher CPD (continuing professional development). Engaging with action research projects in school is a way in which to develop teachers’ reflective practices and has very few cost implications. […]

Building a culture of research engagement within a professional learning community: The case of the Great North Maths Hub

LINDSEY FAGAN, DEPUTY LEAD, GREAT NORTH MATHS HUB, UK; ASSOCIATE LECTURER, UNIVERSITY OF NEWCASTLE, UK KIRSTIN MULHOLLAND, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF NORTHUMBRIA, UK Introduction Engaging with research evidence holds great potential for improving educational outcomes and provision; however, considering how this can be translated and applied in classroom practice can be challenging (OECD, 2022; EEF, 2024). This […]

How can an evidence informed approach help design effective CPD?

Roxanne Gumbs, School Improvement Advisor and Teaching and Learning Lead, Schools Alliance for Excellence, UK Effective professional development (PD) is fundamental in developing the quality of teaching and learning and thus student outcomes. Fletcher-Wood and Zuccolo’s review for the Educational Policy Institute (2020) demonstrated that a meta-analysis of professional development interventions suggested an overall effect […]

Teacher and researcher knowledge exchange: Applying design principles from research to enhance language for mathematics learning

NATHAN BARKER, TEACHER OF MATHEMATICS, HAUTLIEU SCHOOL, JERSEY JO SKELTON, SENIOR LECTURER IN PRIMARY MATHEMATICS EDUCATION AND SCHOOL LIAISON, OXFORD BROOKES UNIVERSITY, UK Where can a classroom teacher start to interact with educational research? In my own classroom and across the mathematics department, there was a trend in students being unable to use mathematical language correctly […]

SIFT: Four strategies for critically engaging with research evidence

Kirstin Mulholland, Senior Associate for School Engagement and Evidence Use, Education Endowment Foundation, UK Harry Madgwick, Research and Policy Manager, Education Endowment Foundation, UK In education, we have access to an ever-increasing quantity of research (Francis, 2023). Yet simply accessing research evidence is not enough to ensure that it impacts upon outcomes (Nelson et al., […]

Culturally sensitive schooling: Understanding Pakistani Muslim parents’ school choices

DR MUHAMMAD NAEEM, ADDITIONAL SECRETARY, GOVERNMENT OF PUNJAB, PAKISTAN PROFESSOR TANYA OVENDEN-HOPE, DEAN AND PROFESSOR OF EDUCATION, PLYMOUTH MARJON UNIVERSITY, UK Introduction Evidence to inform best practice in schools and at systems level should be sought from a variety of sources. This article offers findings from parents to contextualise issues that impact on culturally sensitive schooling, and […]