Research School Network: How has evidence-based practice grown in Ipswich and the value of collaboration How has evidence-based practice grown in Ipswich and the value of collaboration

As we move towards the end of the final year of Opportunity Area funding, the heart of the Ipswich Opportunity Area (IOA) is the people sharing their expertise, and leading and driving change through our established networks of evidence based informed educators.

During 2021/22 academic year – Year 5 of the IOA programme set out to create an infrastructure to consolidate learning from previous funded projects, develop and share expertise and create local networks to share and embed evidence-based practice and support collaboration.

Through an IOA evaluation report April 2022 results identified:

Implementation Leads (IL’s) and their leaders tell us that the role is setting foundations for strong implementation practice in their settings.

The Ipswich Early Education Network project is having an impact on early transition, with schools and Early Years settings telling us that they are reviewing their approaches and working more collaboratively

95% of practitioners felt that the opportunity to work as part of a network with other schools and settings had been important to them this year, with the greatest value being in providing mutual support between practitioners and improving the Early Years transition process.

Compared to a baseline in September 2021 Implementation Leads are now far more likely to engage with research evidence in educations – increasing from 50% to 85%. The increase is most marked in Early Years Implementation Leads (EYIL’s).

Implementation Lead confidence levels in using research evidence to inform planning, teaching and learning has continued to rise against a baseline taken in September, as well as in implementing and evaluating new projects effectively.

85% of Implementation Leads felt that their role had set the foundations for strong implementation in their setting for future years. 79% of headteachers and 90% of Early Years setting managers agreed with this statement. All EY setting managers were considering maintaining the Implementation Lead role with synchronised non-contact time across schools and settings to facilitate the network next year,

​“This role has been a big developing step with me, in how I implement new things into the setting. I now have a new-found love for maths and have adapted the way I teach to support both staff and children. A course that I think has been a great help is the EY Maths program. I also think the network meetings have been a great way to get to know other local settings and create professional relationships with other EYILs in the area”
Early Years Implementation Leads

​“Support structures such as the network are key to broadening the outlook of all schools.”
Primary School Implementation Leads

Learning Behaviour Leads (LBL’s) tell us that some progress has been made to support the children in their settings with the greatest challenge to learning, with strong levels of confidence that their action plans will have an impact this year on outcomes for those children targeted

Following the academic year 2021/22 Year 5 of IOA funding, Ipswich Associate Research School in partnership with Unity Associate Research School will provide continued support, providing further training and growing the network. We hope that the key structures created across the 5 years as an opportunity area will play a role in sustaining impact and legacy. 

For further information contact Vanessa Bally, Ipswich Associate Research School Coordinator – Vanessa.​bally.​ipswich@​researchschool.​org.​uk