The Evidence People
Research and evidence based capacity building in disadvantaged communities
Presentation by Philippa Cordingley drawing on emerging lessons from two projects In Blackpol (with Right to Succeed) and North Wales (with GWE)
In 2010 there were a total of 450 Executive Heads in England. We don’t have accurate figures for the number now but we know there are at least 66 leaders with that or a similar title in our region alone. Alongside this we see a dramatic increase in the numbers of deputy heads being catapulted into headship positions with little notice or preparation. Again, numbers are uncertain but we know of at least 40 in just two of the region’s LA areas.
I always enjoy ResearchEd but the London conference on Saturday really broke previous records for sessions I was keen to get to - tricky decisions at every point!
Personal highlights
Launched at a prestigious gathering at the House of Commons on 9th June, this report outlnes the findings from a recent systematic review of the international research literature examining the evidence of what makes effective teachers' professional development and learning. This 'umbrella' review builds on but substantially updates the findings of several earlier Reviews many of which were undertaken by CUREE. This recent review is the product of a team from CUREE, Durham University and UCL Institute of Education . It was supported by the Teachers Development Trust and TES Global.
The work is presented in three ways, each of which is downloadable from this page:
Keynote presentation by Philippa Cordingley outlining the research evidence around effective use of evidence in school quality and improvement, the connection between professional learning and student learning and the role of leaders. To access the slides of the presentation, contact joe.askew@curee.co.uk
Extract from the DfE Guidance Multi-academy trusts Good practice guidance and expectations for growth. Describes the National Commissioner for Schools (Sir David Carter) four stage maturity model of school improvement
Presentation by Philippa Cordingley to the 2017 National ResearchEd event at Chobham Academy Stratford
The session explored the key building blocks for building momentum in school improvement through the lens of a year of research and evidence based development work in Blackpool secondary schools and across schools in North Wales drawing on interim impact reports. It focussed on issues such as understanding both capacity and barriers in depth, phasing, co-construction, scaffolding and harnessing the contributions of various stakeholders
If you want access to the presentation please email paige.johns@curee.co.uk
Speaking at the second ResearchED conference on 6 September 2014, Philippa Cordingely offered some further insights into the differences between schools that were *merely* strong and those which were exceptional in meeting the needs of vulnerable learners.
Her presentation which can be downloaded from here outlined the key features which distinguished those schools which were exceptional (75%+ at GCSE including English and Maths) ) from those merely very good (achieving at least national averages) at meeting the needs of vulnerable learners in communities with very high FSM (free school meals).
These two mini-enquiry tools help school leaders and practitioners gather and use evidence of teaching and learning practice in the classroom and/or school.
The 'Observing Others' tool helps middle and senior leaders structure lesson (and other practice) observation to serve an R& D purpose rather than, say , performance management.
The other Tool is an introduction to a group of research 'tasters' covering a wide range of evidence based teaching and learning topics.
