Two leading education organisations have formed a partnership to help schools in which progress has stalled.
The partnership is between the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) and the Centre for the Use of Research and Evidence in Education (CUREE). It is being announced as school leaders from across the country attend the Inspiring Leadership Conference in Birmingham.
CUREE has carried out research on how schools in which progress has stalled can gain or regain momentum. It identifies several key building blocks to help school leaders ensure that all the core activities in their schools are working together and heading in the right direction. ASCL consultants will work with CUREE’s experts and tools and resources drawing on this research to provide tailored support for schools and multi-academy trusts.
Malcolm Trobe, Interim General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: “We are delighted at this partnership and the opportunity to use CUREE’s fantastic research and expertise in bringing benefits to schools. It means that we are able to provide a school improvement service based on the best evidence available of what works.”Philippa Cordingley, CUREE’s Chief Executive, said “this is an exciting opportunity to combine our expertise with ASCL’s system leadership to offer a well researched but concrete and practical springboard for school improvement at scale”
This new service is a diagnostic and development process using criteria and benchmarks derived from the Gaining and Sustaining Momentum research (http://www.curee.co.uk/files/shared/GSM_report_public_version.pdf). It uses information provided by the school via documents, pupil performance data, interviews and discussions, focus groups, observations and surveys. These are assessed against the criteria and benchmarks to produce a confidential evaluation report containing detailed, practical and evidence-based recommendations. The school leaders are then supported through one or a number of action research processes for implementing their plan, followed by a concise implementation and progress review
Editors’ notes:
CUREE is an internationally recognized independent research and development organization committed to supporting evidence-informed education policy and practice. Founded in 1997 by its Chief Executive, Philippa Cordingley, CUREE works with UK and overseas’ governments, universities, agencies, local authorities, individual and groups of schools to improve the experience and outcomes for pupils from understanding what works. It translates its own and other people’s research into practical effective, guidance, programmes and tools and resources which go with the flow of school life
The Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) is a leading professional body representing more than 18,500 education system leaders, heads, principals, deputies, vice-principals, assistant heads, business managers and other senior staff of state-funded and independent schools and colleges throughout the UK. ASCL members are responsible for the education of more than four million young people in more than 90 per cent of the secondary and tertiary phases, and in an increasing proportion of the primary phase. ASCL works to shape national education policy, provide advice and support to members and deliver first-class professional development across the sector.
The full report “Gaining and Sustaining Momentum: Accelerating Progress in Schools” is available from http://www.curee.co.uk/files/shared/GSM_report_public_version.pdf and from the Teach First website here https://www.teachfirst.org.uk/news/teach-first-and-curee-exploration-wha.... A summary of the report written by Philippa Cordingley is at http://www.curee.co.uk/node/3273
For the media office please contact Richard Bettsworth on 0116 299 1122 or 07885 467344.
For information about CUREE contact Paul Crisp or Maggie Stafford on 024 7652 4036 or 07813 113156. Further information also available on the website www.curee.co.uk