Education Endowment Foundation:Spotlight on our regional partnerships: How we’re transforming the way writing is taught in Gloucestershire Schools

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

Introducing ​‘The Write Journey’

When speaking with participants about their experience so far of ​‘The Write Journey – a partnership between the EEF, Gloucestershire Research School, and Gloucestershire County Council – the enthusiasm has been palpable. As one stakeholder put it: ​“I am the most inspired about writing I have ever been!”

At the halfway-point of this two-year initiative, this kind of feedback is certainly promising as we think about whether the partnership is meeting its goal: improving writing outcomes for Key Stage 2 and 3 pupils in Gloucestershire, particularly those from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds. But we know that positive sentiment alone isn’t enough — so what’s actually been achieved so far, and how can we ensure that any progress made is sustained?

The journey so far

In spring 2023, the EEF began scoping potential partnerships, identifying priority areas and starting conversations with local system leaders. During the 2023 – 24 academic year, we facilitated in-depth workshops with local stakeholders to analyse data, examine the evidence base, and co-develop detailed, evidence-informed theories of change tailored to their region’s needs.

For Gloucestershire, that challenge was clear: literacy outcomes for disadvantaged learners were a concern. By the end of Key Stage 4, only around 50% of disadvantaged learners in Gloucestershire achieved a Grade 4 or above in their English Language GCSE, compared to 80% of their non-disadvantaged classmates – a 30-percentage point gap (compared to a national gap of 23 percentage points). Writing outcomes in particular were flagged as an area of concern from the early years through to Key Stage 4, with the disadvantage gap widening over time.

This led to a focus on improving writing outcomes at Key Stages 2 and 3. Importantly, the partnership also included behaviour-change supports for schools: establishing a collaborative network, sharing best practices in writing, and enabling professional learning through school visits. The aim was to build a true community of practice.

From theory to practice

Once the theory of change for The Write Journey was in place, Gloucestershire Research School – led by Laura Spence – worked in close partnership with Gloucestershire County Council to bring the vision to life.

A total of 45 schools were recruited across three locations (Cheltenham, Stroud, and the Forest of Dean), including three secondary schools, 41 primary schools, and one special school. Each area included one secondary school and its feeder primaries, enabling the impact of cross-phase collaboration to be explored.

Laura and EEF colleagues conducted a deep dive into the writing evidence base, particularly the EEF guidance on Improving Literacy in Key Stage 2 and Secondary Schools. Three promising, cross-phase writing principles emerged:

• Modelling
• Scaffolding
• Deconstructing writing

These principles formed the backbone of a three-day of training offer for ​‘lead teachers’ (nominated staff leading the work in participating schools). Delivered at scale through a train-the-trainer model, these lead teachers then cascaded the training within their schools.

To support whole-school alignment, headteachers and school leaders also received dedicated training too through a full-day session. Ongoing support was provided through cluster meeting with area leads from Gloucestershire Research School throughout the year.

Looking ahead, the second year of the partnership will focus on deepening implementation. Every participating school will be visited by an area lead to celebrate progress, share learning, and troubleshoot challenges. Further training sessions will also support embedding the approach more fully across schools.

Perhaps most excitingly though, is the evidence of promise already stemming from this work. Lasting connections and networks are forming, secondaries involved are already drawing on resources from primary schools in the network and vice versa; cross-phase school visits are taking place, independent to any partnership-directed ones.

Outside of change at individual school level, this work has brought back a sharpened county-wide focus on disadvantage.

Final reflections

The Write Journey’ is just one of 13 EEF Evidence into Action partnerships which have moved into delivery this academic year, with around eight more expected to start in 2025 – 26. Each is tackling a distinct local challenge, but all share a common ethos: sustained, collaborative, evidence-informed work rooted in local knowledge and expertise.

In Gloucestershire, this is a promising new pathway to help improve writing outcomes for disadvantaged pupils, and I can’t wait to see the progress made in its second year.