Research School Network: Applying the Evidence to School Closures Stories and guidance from across the Research Schools Network

The Research Schools Network and our funder, the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) have been working hard to ensure schools can continue to use the evidence and receive support during school closures and beyond.

Our Network of 40 Research Schools is comprised of a wide variety of current and former school staff and teachers, with a range of expertise and experience, who have produced more than 70 blogs and videos focused on school closures and distance learning over the past few months.

These have complimented and built on the work of the EEF, demonstrating how their guidance and research can be applied in a wide variety of contexts – describing case studies and broad principles and highlighting the latest research, from early years to secondary, when supporting pupils with SEND and more.

The EEF has produced two rapid evidence assessments examining the research around remote learning and the likely impact of school closures on the attainment gap. They have also produced a wide range of resources to help schools apply the evidence to distance learning and to continue effectively engaging with parents and carers.

Make sure to subscribe to your local Research School newsletter to so that you don’t miss out on the latest in education research – discussed by schools, for schools. 

And read (and watch) some of the highlights from the Research Schools Network:

Impacts to the gap and what to do about it

• Into the Unknown – Bradford Research School
• Just how big will the gap be? – Norwich Research School
• Sustaining the Learning of Disadvantaged Pupils During School Lockdown – Unity Research School
• The Curriculum Challenge: Operation Reparation – Meols Cop Research School
• Canaries Down the Coalmine: What Next for Pupil Premium Strategy? – Unity Research School
• Closing the COVID gap – Staffordshire Research School

Remote learning challenges & strategies

• Reflecting on remote teaching: Exemplifying several strategies – HISP Research School
• e‑Learning: A marathon not a sprint (part 1) – Norwich Research School
• e‑Learning tools: video tutorials for teachers (part 2) – Norwich Research School
• e‑Learning: delivering amidst competing priorities (part 3) – Norwich Research School
• e‑Learning: sustaining it until who knows when (part 4) – Norwich Research School
• 8 ways to increase accessibility with remote learning – Carmel Research School
• Teacher Quality and Subject Focus through Remote Learning – Kyra Research School
• Bringing School into Your Home – Rosendale Research School
• The ​‘Shifting Sands’ of Education During Coronavirus: Evolving practice to provide distance learning whilst supporting welfare and wellbeing – Unity Research School
• Remote teaching that really counts – St Matthew’s Research School
• Making History: Leading During Covid-19 – Staffordshire Research School
• Developing a positive approach to home schooling – Sandringham Research School

Questioning, Feedback and Assessment

• Getting Feedback Right in the Online Classroom – Durrington Research School
• Feedback: What to Consider for Remote Learning – Sandringham Research School
• Providing Feedback During School Closure: A technophobe’s view of using Google Docs – Sandringham Research School
• Formative Assessment – Sandringham Research School
• Questioning from a distance: How can we use the research evidence around effective questioning to inform our distance teaching? – Durrington Research School
• Overcoming remote learning challenges: Ideas for more effective remote questioning, feedback and peer interaction – Sandringham Research School

Behaviour

• Thinking about behaviour as we return to our school settings (video) – Greenshaw Research School
• Using the EEF’s Behaviour Guidance Report during Covid-19 – Cornwall Associate Research School

Supporting Parents

• Supporting Parents with Remote Learning – Greenshaw Research School

Providing CPD

• Providing quality staff professional development during a pandemic (Newcastle)

EEF’s Rapid Evidence Assessment on Distance Learning (and implications for schools)

• Remote Learning Rapid Evidence Assessment (video) – Charles Dickens Research School
• Remote learning: what does the evidence tell us? – East London Research School
• Distance learning: Reflections on the EEF’s rapid evidence review – Sandringham Research School

Early Years and Primary

• Home Learning and Curriculum in the Early Years – East London Research School
• Primary Maths Monthly Bulletin – Unity Research School
• Distance Learning for Year 1 – Billesley Research School

Secondary Focus

• Things for us to consider as we start to reintegrate some pupils back into our classrooms – HISP Research School
• Getting to grips with remote A‑level teaching – Sandringham Research School
• How we Implemented Daily Tutor Reading Remotely – Greenshaw Research School

Pupils with SEND

• Supporting SEND pupils with home learning routines – HISP Research School

Metacognition and Self-Regulation

• Metacognition and Home Learning webinar – Kingsbridge Research School
• Self-Regulation at a Distance (includes links to subject-specific videos and blogs) – Durrington Research School
• Maintaining pupil motivation during school closure – and beyond – St Matthew’s­ Research School

Social and Emotional Learning

• Learn-AT Home Principles: Thoughts and advice on home learning from Learn Academies Trust and Learn-AT Associate Research School – Kyra Research School

Other webinars, recommended resources and free CPD

• Free CPD during School Closures – HISP Research School
• Professional Development and Learning at a distance – St Matthew’s Research School
• Blog Series summarising EEF guidance reports, evidence assessments and more – Charles Dickens Research School
• Helping you find the needle in the haystack: A summary of the websites, blogs and resources that can support you with remote learning – Sandringham Research School
• Videos for CPD: Evidence-based Videos useful for CPD at Home - Unity Research School
• How to be evidence informed whilst developing a Mentally Healthy school – Charles Dickens Research School