Six new research projects to test approaches in schools – from teachers working from home, to ​‘adventure learning’

Independent charity the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) has announced six new research projects to take place in schools across the country.

• Each will test new programmes and approaches to explore their impact on pupil attainment, with a focus on socio-economically disadvantaged learners.
• Schools can sign up to take part by searching for their school name or postcode on the EEF website. 75% of all state-funded schools in England have taken part in an EEF project.

Six new research projects will test the impact of different programmes and approaches on pupil outcomes. These include giving teachers protected time to work from home, adventure activities such as hiking or rowing, and action groups where teachers and students work together to improve mental health policies.

Other projects funded by the EEF include a programme that encourages students to improve their reading by working in pairs, and training for science teachers in retrieval practice to help pupils connect scientific concepts.

All the programmes will be independently evaluated by research teams from separate organisations.

These projects are part of the EEF’s work to build the evidence base on what works to improve attainment outcomes for children and young people from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds, and to support the sector to put that evidence into practice. Schools can take part for low or no cost.

More research projects will be launched later this year, including for early years settings and further education colleges.

The six new projects announced by the EEF are (in alphabetical order):

• Commando Joe’s Inspire to Achieve Programmeis a targeted in-school personal development programme for Year 9 pupils. It combines collaborative mission-based activities, physical and emotional challenge, and structured reflection to improve pupils’ self-regulationHow children monitor their emotions and thoughts, and adapt their behaviour in different circumstances., resilience, teamwork, peer relationships and overall wellbeing.
• Exploring the Impact of Offsite Planning, Preparation and Assessment will test whether allowing primary teachers to take their Planning, Preparation and Assessment (PPA) time offsite improves staff retention, job satisfaction, and wellbeing. Schools will determine how the policy is communicated and implemented, with the process evaluation examining variations in delivery – including timetable adaptations, resource changes, and staff guidance. (This programme builds on a previous EEF scoping study published in October 2025. See notes for more details.)
• Learning Together for Mental Health is a whole-school programme for pupils aged 12 – 15 that uses restorative and relational practices and student – staff action groups to improve mental wellbeing, reduce bullying and aggression, and support better attendance and academic outcomes.
• Outward Bound Trust’s Adventure and Challenge Programme is a 5‑day personal development programme for Year 9 pupils that aims to improve non-cognitive skills such as self-regulationHow children monitor their emotions and thoughts, and adapt their behaviour in different circumstances., teamwork, communication and behaviour, alongside academic outcomes. The programme is delivered in nature-based settings with activities such as wild camping, hiking, and gorge walking. These are followed by supported reflection sessions to help pupils apply lessons learned to the school context.
• Peer Assisted Learning Strategies UK (PALS-UK)is a whole-class, structured peer tutoring intervention that improves reading comprehension, oral reading fluency, and overall reading attainment of pupils in Year 5. Pupils are paired and take part in four activities in each session: partner reading, re-tell, paragraph shrinking, and prediction relay.
• Rich Retrieval is a professional development programmeA programme is a package of support, including professional development, that helps early years educators to improve particular areas of practice and children’s outcomes. for Key Stage 2 science teachers on how to use retrieval practice (bringing information to mind from memory) to encourage pupils to better remember and connect scientific concepts. It focuses on moving beyond retrieval practice based on factual recall and encouraging them to Compare and Contrast, Connect, Categorise, Create, and Question.

Schools across England can search their school name or postcode on the EEF website to check their eligibility and apply.