Education Endowment Foundation:Spotlight on our regional partnerships: how we’re harnessing collaboration to support isolated schools in Fenland

This blog is part of a short series showcasing a few of the current regional partnerships within our Research School Network. As part of the EEF’s regional strategy, we form partnerships to identify and help address specific challenges facing settings in different areas. By working together with education settings and local system leaders, such as local authorities and multi-academy-trusts over a two-year period, we identify priorities, co-construct solutions, and engage with research evidence to try to tackle these real-life education challenges. You can find out more about the regional partnerships work here: Regional partnerships | EEF

Breaking barriers through collaboration

Schools in remote areas face challenges of location and in accessing resources for school improvement. Opportunities for partnership, networking, and collaboration can be limited, but are crucial in supporting ongoing professional development. This is a particular issue in Fenland in Cambridgeshire, a remote area which is one of the least socially mobile local authorities in England.

Collaborative partnership development

Collaboration has always been at the heart of the EEF’s regional work and the foundations for this partnership were laid long before it officially started. Fenland already had an established school led network (the East Cambs and Fenland Evidence Network) and many of the school leaders who had previously engaged in this went on to join the partnership development team. Their knowledge of the local context and learning from previous initiatives meant that they were well placed to help map out the steps the partnership would need to take to create lasting change.

As Elaine Crane, Director of Education at Soke Education Trust, said: ​“The way the partnership has been developed means that it feels much more inclusive and holistic. Having everyone involved from an early stage creates a much better chance of the project being successful and sustainable.”

Through exploring local data, contextual challenges, and the research evidence – three key areas of focus emerged:

• Supporting pupils in the early years foundation stage and Key Stage 1 to develop their language and communication skills.
• Developing practitioners’ understanding of research evidence and confidence to employ strategies to support high-quality talk. 
• Supporting leaders to embed a culture of high-quality talk across their settings.

Collaborative content design

In the first year of the partnership, we developed a blended training programme for early years and Key Stage 1 leaders and practitioners. This programme focused on key aspects of high-quality talk – including planned opportunities, such as interactive reading and imaginative play, as well as enhancing incidental interactions.

We also drew on the expertise of the wider Research Schools Network. For example:

• East London Research School supported content development with early years phase-specific expertise
• Somerset Research School shared learning and resources from their language and communication partnership in Wiltshire

This national collaboration helped ensure the training content was both robust and locally relevant.

Strengthening school-to-school collaboration

Knowing that isolation was a key barrier for many schools in Fenland, we designed the partnership to prioritise collaboration at every stage. We built in multiple opportunities for schools to connect and learn from one another:

• Online training modules include breakout discussions to explore how to apply the evidence in practice
• In-person events protect time for structured networking and group dialogue
• Group coaching sessions support problem-solving among peers

Beyond the formal training, communities of practice have emerged to help sustain collaboration and embed impact. We’re also producing a range of partnership content – including case studies, blogs, and videos – to share practical strategies and extend the impact beyond the initial cohort of schools.

What’s next?

As one participant noted:

A key strength of this partnership is its locally grounded project management. A local project lead has played an essential role in understanding the unique context and recruiting the initial cohort of 18 schools. This local insight continues to shape how the partnership operates and evolves.

The steering group – comprising local authority and MAT leaders, the local evidence network, Research School colleagues, and the EEF Regional Delivery Lead – brings together a range of perspectives and illustrates the shared ownership of the project.

With strong engagement so far and positive early feedback from participants, the signs are promising. In year two, we’ll be expanding the partnership to include a further 15 – 20 schools from nearby Huntingdon and St Neots, finding out how the programme translates to a wider locality.

Final reflections

In a region where professional isolation is often the norm, this partnership is showing the power of collaborative, evidence-informed approaches to strengthen teaching and learning. By continuing to build relationships, share knowledge, and embed high-quality talk in early education, this work offers a model for improving outcomes in rural and remote settings.