Research and Development

Research helps teachers reflect on their practice and find ways to improve.  The East Sussex Learning Collaborative Network Research and Development (R&D) underpins our Initial Teacher Training and Continuous Professional Development offer. 

Evidence-informed practice is now understood to be instrumental to school improvement, especially in the context of self-improving schools and the drive for high quality teaching. 

The ESLCN works collaboratively to provide evidence-informed support and training for teachers and school leaders in order to improve teaching and learning and achieve the maximum benefit for all young people.

We work closely with Durrington Research School, the Sussex Maths Hub and the Education Endowment Foundation to provide schools with the best available evidence, to champion innovative ways of improving teaching and learning, and provide expertise in evaluating impact. We’ve selected some recent articles and upcoming events and projects that we think might be of interest.

In this section

Educational research at the heart of what it means to be a professional.

The Chartered College of Teaching

R&D projects, events, programmes and resources

Hybrid and Blended Learning Toolkit

Following the challenges presented by the disruption caused by COVID-19, the ESLCN formed a working party with members from across East Sussex, Brighton and Hove and Kent to look at how we could learn from recent experiences of hybrid and blended learning in schools.

The aim was to produce a ‘Strategic Guide to Cross-phase Quality First teaching in a Remote World’, as we believe that a blended approach will be a feature of teaching and learning in the future. As Christine Gilbert says in her think piece ‘Coming Back Stronger’ (2021) “…the experiences of using digital technology to support learning and communication during the pandemic will have a lasting impact on the way schools work in the future.”

The result is a handy, electronic document for headteachers/senior leaders and their staff. This toolkit sets out the standards and key features of effective learning and teaching online. There are three sections in each module: key questions to provoke individual reflection or to use with other members of staff; top tips to provide a speedy guide for busy teachers; and finally, additional references for further reading and research. Explore the Hybrid and Blended Learning Toolkit here.

Boys don’t try

Priory School have engaged in research and developments around improving boys’ achievement.  Details of the toolkit that they developed with Heathfield Community College, as well as their programme, workshops and papers for practitioners can be found here.

Sussex Maths Hub – Mastery Specialist Programme

Each year, the Mastery Specialist Programme recruits secondary teachers. This programme is aimed at developing the necessary skills and expertise for participants to be awarded the status of secondary Mastery Specialist.

UCL Centre for Educational Leadership thinkpieces

UCL Centre for Educational Leadership (CEL) thinkpieces are designed to extend criticality and activate knowledge, stimulate dialogue, promote further inquiry and learning, and encourage new and shared thinking that promotes innovative approaches to practice and policy.

Each thinkpiece concludes with questions to aid reflection on current practice, challenge assumptions about the status quo, and encourage deep and meaningful learning conversations that will lead to purposeful and intentional change to enhance policy, practice and students’ and stakeholders’ learning and wellbeing.

The Chartered College of Teaching

Membership to the Chartered College of Teaching is just £1.88 a month and gives you access to all the latest research for the profession.  New teachers have free access to a wide range of invaluable resources on the Early Careers Hub.

Our pick of the latest articles

Ofsted reviews

Ofsted have recently published a number of reviews of interest. There is a review of research into factors that influence the quality of PE in schools here with a summarised news item here. To view a series of reviews from Ofsted regarding different curriculum subjects click here.

Coming back stronger: leadership matters

Christine Gilbert, Visiting Professor at UCL Centre for Educational Leadership explores the impact of the pandemic on schools. This thinkpiece is intended to support schools in opening conversations about leadership opportunities to build a stronger future.

Getting transition right

Kirsten Mould’s two-part blog for The Education Endowment Foundation explores the primary-secondary transition.

Latest news from the Maths Hubs Programme

The latest issue of the Maths Hubs’ publication Bespoke, looks at the ways in which hubs adapted their provision during lockdown and how their plans have been adapted for covid recovery.  You can also find video lessons created by Primary Mastery Specialists.

The Art of Getting it Wrong; Or how not to CPD

Zoe Enser is the lead specialist English advisor for Kent working with The Education People. Reflects on her own CPD experiences and compiles a list of her top CPD faux pas.

Anti-racist education resources

The Chartered College of Teaching has pulled together a reading list including resources, links and research to help support educators. Some of the articles and resources have been written or produced specifically in response to recent events.

Research Schools Network

Did you know that the #ResearchSchoolsNetwork has written more than 90 blogs showing how the best evidence is being applied to remote learning and COVID-19?

Their new blog outlines some of the best blogs and vlogs from across the Network.

Activating Hard Thinking

Chris Runeckles from Durrington Research School explores the evidence review for the dimension 4 of the Great Teaching Toolkit Evidence Review.

Expert Teachers – what they are, why they matter and how we create them in schools

Zoe & Mark Enser’s online presentation, Growing Expert Teachers (creating an environment for growth) was first created for researchED Durrington Loom, an event organised by Shaun Allison and the @researchEDDHS team, and which took place in April 2020.

Submit your research

We invite all East Sussex schools, academies and trust to submit their class-based research for us to publicise here, to make it available across the county. Please contact us via email.