Our first funding round of 2023 will focus on three priority areas, identified as having gaps in the evidence base and with potential to benefit socio-economically disadvantaged pupils.

Across the three areas and over the course of the year, we’ll fund different types of research – including evidence synthesis, practice reviews, quasi-experimental studies, and randomised controlled trials – to add to the evidence base of what we know about improving outcomes.

Teacher recruitment and retention

We know that high-quality teaching is the most important lever schools have for improving attainment, particularly for socio-economically disadvantaged pupils who benefit the most. Yet attracting and retaining teachers, particularly in schools serving a high proportion of disadvantaged pupils, is one of the biggest challenges our education system faces.

Our flagship research theme for 2023 is on supporting the recruitment and retention of teachers in schools with high levels of disadvantaged pupils.

Find out more and apply.

Supporting English and maths resits in post-16 settings

Young people who don’t achieve a good pass in English and maths at GCSE have to continue studying these subjects after Year 11. But last year just one in five students retaking maths and one in four retaking English went on to pass, proportions that have remained stubbornly low since the policy was introduced in 2015.

Our funding in this area will focus on programme and approaches with the potential to improve outcomes for young people taking English and maths resit classes in sixth form and further education colleges.

Find out more and apply.

Education Technology (EdTech)

Schools, colleges and nurseries often spend a lot of money and time implementing EdTech approaches. But there’s little robust evidence underpinning EdTech approaches to support teaching and learning, particularly on their impact on attainment outcomes for children and young people from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds.

Our funding in this area will focus on programmes and approaches that will allow us to explore the role and implementation of EdTech in classroom teaching and learning.

Find out more and apply.