CT3L Education Research and Enquiry (Leadership)

Suitable for: Practising school leaders (practising classroom teachers and middle leaders should undertake CT3 Education Research and Enquiry instead).

The Education Research and Inquiry Certificate (Leadership) has been developed for practising school leaders with whole-school or cross-school responsibility. The certified assessment unit will guide you through the process of practitioner inquiry, supporting you to explore a key area of school policy or practice and generate evidence-informed insights to support school improvement within your context.

You will identify an area of policy or practice linked to a school improvement, develop an inquiry question, and undertake a critical review of relevant research and evidence. You will develop your understanding of research methods and approaches to analysing data before planning and carrying your School Practice Inquiry.

Throughout your inquiry, you will gather and analyse evidence to explore your chosen area of focus, formulate recommendations for future practice, and consider how your findings can support ongoing development within your setting. You will present your findings through a written report and accompanying research poster, demonstrating how your inquiry has informed evidence-informed decision-making.

A school leader undertaking this assessment unit would typically be an executive headteacher, headteacher, deputy headteacher, assistant headteacher, director, head of school, or other similar role, where they have either whole-school or cross-school responsibility.

Please note: If you are not the headteacher, you will need to discuss any ethical implications with your headteacher at the planning stage and gain approval prior to undertaking your project.