Guidance

Workload challenge: school research projects

Published 30 January 2017

1. Data

1.1 London

Lead school	Contact	Project detail
St Patrick’s Catholic Primary	Ruslan Protsiv	Evaluation of current practices in our schools with regards to the gathering and use of assessment information. It will examine the diversity and quality of assessment, as well as the extent to which the workload associated with gathering and use of assessment information impacts on teacher workload, improves pupil outcomes and enhances the quality of school transition processes.
Haberdashers’ Aske’s Hatcham College	Kafilat Agboola	It will explore the existing beliefs and expectations of different stakeholders (students, parents, teachers, leaders) linked to the collection, sharing and analysis of data and other information to support student learning with a focus on data management for post 16 students.

1.2 South East

Lead school	Contact	Project detail
Highworth Grammar School	Lesley Donald	The use of data in the teaching of Maths and English to evaluate the differences between arts and science subjects across all Key Stages from Early Years to KS5. Strategies to make data input and use more meaningful for and beneficial to teachers will be piloted and evaluated.

1.3 South West

Lead school	Contact	Project detail
St Peter’s C of E Primary School	Janine Ashman	How to have clarity around the purpose of data collection in schools for teachers and leaders. It will also investigate how to establish a manageable number of key assessment statements and an efficient system of data collection.
The Woodroffe School	Laura Webb	The importance of clarity around the purpose of data collection and whether some of the principles which underpin the medical profession’s approach to using data can be helpfully applied in schools.

2. Marking

2.1 East Midlands

Lead school	Contact	Project detail
Cotgrave Candleby Lane School	Sarah Flight	Models of marking, associated policies and practices in schools of different contexts and at different stages of their school improvement journey. It will explore how to reduce teachers’ workload pressures created from marking, through the application of tested and innovative strategies.

2.2 London

Lead school	Contact	Project detail
Charles Dickens Primary School	Dr Kate Chhatwal	Ways to develop effective feedback to reduce the amount of time spent on marking and maximise the impact on pupil progress. It will develop teachers’ capacity to deliver verbal feedback to children with a view to reducing the time spent by teachers on extensive written comments, thereby freeing up time for teachers to plan children’s next steps in greater detail.

2.3 North West

Lead school	Contact	Project detail
Tarporley High School	Mrs Ffion Eaton	The impact on teacher workload of removing all acknowledgement/skill rehearsal marking in English with the teacher only assessing a final piece and a verbal feedback programme replacing much written marking. The project will also explore deeply-rooted cultural perceptions around marking; specifically its use as a proxy for teacher professionalism and effectiveness.

3. Planning

3.1 East Midlands

Lead school	Contact	Project detail
Sneinton C of E Primary	Rebecca Williamson	Whether using existing Trust Year Group networks as a platform to plan units of English collaboratively can reduce teacher workload. The project will evaluate using the expertise of specialist leaders of education (SLEs) to facilitate collaborative planning sessions which create high quality, shared English schemes of work.

3.2 North East

Lead school	Contact	Project detail
Whitley Bay High School	Linda Buckle Gareth Ellis	The time teachers spend planning to evaluate areas of excellence or inconsistency across the different schools, subject areas, teaching experience and key stages with a view to identifying ways of maintaining/improving attainment whilst reducing time spent on planning.

3.3 South West

Lead school	Contact	Project detail
The Mead CP School	Lindsay Palmer	Ways to shape and refine the role of subject leader as Collaborative Planning Lead to both alleviate teacher workload and enhance the learning experience for children. Focusing on science, design and Technology, and computing, the project will investigate high quality planning and resourcing, relevant continuing professional development (CPD) and digital online planning resource banks.