Education Endowment Foundation:EEF opens applications for new evidence partnership for the 16 – 19 sector

EEF opens applications for new evidence partnership for the 16 – 19 sector

Charity calls on general FE and sixth form colleges to apply for funded opportunity
Author
EEF
EEF

Today (Wednesday 19 March 2025), the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) has opened applications to join a new evidence partnership for the 16 – 19 sector, which aims to support colleges to access, understand, and apply research evidence to their teaching and learning.

Press Release •2 minutes •

The initial members will be supported with funding from the EEF and will collaborate with other general FE and sixth form colleges. They’ll help to build a shared understanding of the 16 – 19 sector’s priorities and support the effective use of evidence across different settings.

The launch of this partnership is part of the EEF’s expanded remit in the 16 – 19 sector. Alongside their work to build the evidence base and summarise existing research, the new initiative will help put evidence to use in ways that improve outcomes. It’s expected that members of the partnership will do this by:

  • Increasing awareness of the EEF within the 16 – 19 sector.
  • Disseminating evidence-informed resources and approaches.
  • Supporting the translation of evidence into practice through exemplification in 16 – 19 contexts, for example producing case studies, blogs, videos and other resources.
  • Developing strong regional networks with 16 – 19 providers and other partners to increase collaboration.

The partnership will focus on tackling the enduring attainment gap between socio-economically disadvantaged young people and their peers. These gaps start before children even start school and widen as they progress through the education system. This means that by the end of secondary school, disadvantaged pupils are, on average, 18.8 months behind their peers. The new initiative will have a specific focus on evidence to improve outcomes for disadvantaged learners.

The charity is now calling on general FE and sixth form colleges from across the country to apply to be part of their new partnership. The EEF is aiming to appoint five to six colleges. Applications are open until 25th April 2025 and can be made here.

Successful applicants will start working as part of the partnership in September and will commit to an initial period of two years. The first focus will be on sharing learning between the members and establishing ways of working. In the longer term, they will build on this by exemplifying evidence in use and offering training and support to other colleges.

Emily Yeomans, co-CEO at the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF), said: