Research School Network: Supporting Leaders to manage change using effective implementation By Niki Kaiser, Becky Layfield, Kate Bonney and Adam Rivett (audio version available)
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Supporting Leaders to manage change using effective implementation
By Niki Kaiser, Becky Layfield, Kate Bonney and Adam Rivett (audio version available)
As the new school year begins, leaders will be planning ahead. They may consider implementing interventions to address areas of need, developing whole-school initiatives, or changing the behaviour and culture in specific areas.
Changing the established habits and behaviours of educators through implementation isn’t straightforward, but the EEF’s guidance report, A School’s Guide to Implementation helps schools embrace the complex, social nature of change.
“Ultimately, however well-evidenced an educational idea or intervention is, what really matters is how it manifests itself in the day-to-day.”
Encouraging Leaders to Pause and Plan
School leaders tend to be hands-on “doers.” They are eager to do their best for both the children in their schools and their colleagues, so it can be tempting to jump straight into action. However, initiatives that are thoughtfully considered and carefully implemented — while keeping an eye on the evidence — are more likely to succeed. So, how do we convince leaders, who are often keen to get moving, that it’s worth taking the time to plan for implementation?
We asked Evidence Advocates (EAs) from the East Cambs and Fenland Evidence Network to share why they find implementation planning, as guided by the EEF, so useful.
Below, we’ve collected some of their thoughts from a meeting last year. All the EAs are school leaders — either Headteachers or Deputy Headteachers — and they coach other leaders on implementation planning.
Knowing What You’re Doing
Implementation planning helps leaders focus on the issue at hand with a clear sense of direction. Evidence Advocates shared the following insights:
· “You start by considering the problem you are looking to solve.” · “It sharpens the focus.” · “Having a clear end goal in mind at the start helps you maintain focus on why you are doing it.” · “It helps keep the main thing the main thing.” · “This approach enables clarity of thought about the initial problem, the end point, and the key ingredients, ensuring fidelity to the chosen strategy.”
Knowing Why You’re Doing It
Implementation planning also helps leaders remember why they are making changes, and it can assist them in communicating this to others. Any change within a school
relies on many people working together towards a common goal. It’s important that everyone understands what they are doing and why.
A School’s Guide to Implementation emphasises this in recommendation 2: “Unite people around what is being implemented, how it will be implemented, and why it matters.”
The Evidence Advocates highlighted this aspect:
· “It allows us to focus on the problems first and really debate them, rather than jumping straight into action.” · “It gives us a better understanding of the purpose and aims of the project before work starts.” · “It helps us understand the scope of the project and its timeline.” · “It ensures we consider all stakeholder groups.” · “The idea of ‘reach’ is embedded into an implementation plan.”
A Sustained Process, Not a One-Off Action Plan
The first edition of the EEF’s guidance report made it clear that implementation planning is a process, not an event. Good plans have a sharp focus, but they also account for how initiatives will be sustained over time. An implementation plan is not simply an action plan, though it includes actions.
This point was emphasised by the EAs:
· “Action plans can often become overloaded — an implementation plan keeps a sharp focus.” · “It highlights how implementation isn’t a single event; it’s a process that is sustained.” · “This approach leads to sustained change and practice.” · “It’s not a one-person effort — it’s often a team working together.” · “It’s about more than just the ‘what’ — it’s also the ‘how’ and the ‘why.’”
It Shouldn’t Just Sit on a Shelf
A key characteristic of a good implementation plan is that it should be a living document, regularly reviewed and adjusted as needed. It also allows us to evaluate the process itself and determine whether something worked — and why it worked (or didn’t). Was the right intervention chosen but poorly implemented? Or did it succeed only because of specific conditions and context?
The EAs reflected this in their comments:
· “It’s a live document.” · “Due consideration is given to the ‘How well are we doing?’ phase.” · “It makes you consider short‑, medium‑, and long-term outcomes upfront.” · “Three key characteristics — core components, fidelity, and acceptability — set it apart from an action plan.” · “The idea of a ‘golden thread’ running through the plan helps ensure it all holds together.”
School leaders have a strong moral purpose: they want to do the best for the children in their schools. Evidence suggests that pausing and planning, thinking about the “how” as well as the “what”, gives their plans the best chance of success. You can find out more about this process here.
Adam Rivett is Headteacher at Littleport Community Primary Kate Bonney is Headteacher at Robert Arkenstall Primary School Becky Layfield is KS2 Lead at Robert Arkenstall Primary School
