Cumbria schools win funding to boost the quality of teaching in the region
Two schools in Cumbria – Cockermouth School and West Lakes Academy – have won funding to boost the quality of teaching in the region through direct support for local schools. They will work together to form the Cumbria Associate Research School, part of the Education Endowment Foundation’s (EEF) network of 32 Research Schools and eight Associate Research Schools across England.
The new Associate Research School in Cumbria forms part of a major expansion of the EEF’s regional work, with a significant increase in applying evidence to improve their pupils’ outcomes and close the disadvantage gap.
They will receive one year’s worth of funding from the EEF and additional money from the WELL Project, to target work in the Western Lakes. The focus of the support will be on disadvantaged pupils, and more broadly vulnerable learners to help meet a key local priority
They will also explore offering other programmes based on the EEF’s guidance reports on core school topics like literacy, maths and behaviour. These will be delivered in partnership with other Research Schools in the EEF’s Research School Network. This work builds on a conference that was held in Cumbria in 2019 at which the interest and enthusiasm for evidence-based practice in the area was demonstrated.
Cumbria Associate Research School will be holding a formal launch later in the month. They have opened applications for Evidence Leads in Education (ELE) to deliver training programmes based on the EEF’s guidance reports over the next three school terms.
Professor Becky Francis, CEO of the Education Endowment Foundation, said: