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White Rose Maths (WRM) commissioned the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) to conduct research to explore evidence that suggested a wider COVID-19 attainment gap in schools in Yorkshire and the Humber region in Autumn 2020, to understand the challenges that schools face, and how recovery in the region can best be supported. This study explores the COVID-19 attainment gap in terms of the difference between attainment before the COVID-19 pandemic compared to during the pandemic. The study concludes that the region should continue to focus on existing learning recovery activities, particularly as there is recent evidence from summer 2021 that the attainment gap is reducing in the region despite additional challenges of the pandemic. However, the region faces exacerbated challenges related to deprivation and a disproportionately adverse impact of COVID-19, and on average pupils remain substantially behind in maths and reading attainment in terms of both comparison to age-related expectations and to prior attainment, as well as being behind where they might be expected to be for their age in terms of skills and confidence.

The Evidence-based Literacy Support-"Literacy Octopus" Trial tested a range of dissemination interventions and resources, all of which aimed to engage schools in using evidence-based materials to improve teaching and learning in Key Stage 2 literacy. Four delivery partners provided interventions. These included light-touch, "passive" approaches-such as emailing materials to schools-and more "active" support such as face-to-face events about putting research into practice. Separately, the "Literacy Octopus" Dissemination Trial (a sister trial which did not include a support element) tested the impact of some of the former, more passive approaches in a large-scale trial. This report concerns a trial of the latter, more active approaches, but also included "passive" elements. The qualitative evaluation included observations of activities, interviews, and case studies. Key conclusions include: (1) The project found no evidence that any of the interventions improved pupils' Key Stage 2 English scores. The five padlock security rating indicates high confidence in this result; (2) There was no evidence of impact on any of the six teacher Research Use Measures used in this trial. However, researchers have limited confidence in this result given the low response rate to the questionnaires designed to capture these outcomes, and some measures were only moderately reliable; (3) Schools' level of engagement varied: six out of ten schools did not engage to the level expected by the providers, although a small proportion engaged to a greater extent than expected (for example by hosting CPD sessions). Reasons for not engaging included lack of time, the timing and location of events, and a preference for face-to-face support rather than online or remote formats only; (4) Teachers felt research evidence was most effectively communicated when it was interactive, accessible, relevant, included a balanced and credible discussion of the evidence, and focused on how to apply the evidence in practice. Where schools went on to implement changes in light of Literacy Octopus engagement, these came about through mechanisms such as in-school collaboration, further enquiry, and trying out, reviewing, adapting, and embedding approaches; and (5) The lack of impact across the different interventions suggests that simply communicating research evidence to schools is not enough to improve outcomes. How easily the presented evidence can be used in practice--and the conditions in schools for implementing evidence based change--might be just as important. Further research should assess whether interventions can transform evidence into practical action, and develop supportive implementation conditions in schools.

Based on research conducted by the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER), Ambition School Leadership (formerly The Future Leaders Trust) and the National Governors' Association called: "Executive headteachers: What's in a name?," this brief guide provides a summary of the executive headteacher (EHT) role, with practical questions and exemplar role descriptors to consider when creating the position. The findings of the research have been re-purposed by education expert Andy Buck to help leadership teams when they are considering EHT roles and associated structures. The resource comprises three parts: (1) An overview of the EHT role suitable for anyone working in the sector; (2) Practical questions to be discussed by all parties involved in establishing an EHT role; and (3) Exemplar job descriptors for an EHT role. [For related reports, see ED574408, ED574411, ED574412, ED574414, and ED574415.]

Executive headteachers (EHTs) are becoming increasingly prevalent as the self-improving school system matures; there are over 620 EHTs in the school workforce today; and the number recorded in the School Workforce Census (SWC) has increased by 240 per cent between 2010 and 2014. The role is still evolving locally and nationally and, as EHTs take responsibility for ever more schools in England, their role will be crucial to the effectiveness of multi-school groupings in the self-improving school system. This study adds clarity to the evidence on the role and responsibilities of EHTs, the structural arrangements in which they work, and the skills and experience they need. It is based on a review of 15 HT and 15 EHT application packs, secondary analysis of the SWC, and 12 in-depth case studies with EHTs and their colleagues. It is a collaboration between the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER), the National Governors' Association (NGA) and The Future Leaders Trust (TFLT). This full report of findings includes key messages and recommendations for policy and practice, explains why executive headteachers (EHTs) matter, describes the distinctive characteristics and distribution of EHTs, discusses the circumstances under which schools appoint an EHT, and outlines the facilitating factors, challenges, and development of the EHT role. [This report was co-published by The Future Leaders Trust. For the executive summary, see ED574408. For the Technical Appendix, see ED574412. For the Review of Literature, see ED574415. For the Case Study Compendium, see ED574414.]

This document is a technical appendix to the report "Executive Headteachers: What's in a Name? A Full Report of the Findings." It provides a detailed account of the methodology used to obtain the data on which the report is based. The research explored the prevalence and nature of the executive headteacher role, in order to inform policy and practice implications for organisations involved with leadership development, school governing boards and those appointing to the role, and the wider school landscape agenda. Research questions included: (1) What are the characteristics and distribution of executive headteachers (from here on referred to as EHTs), as compared with the profile of other headteachers (from here on referred to as HTs)? (2) What are the distinguishing features of the EHT role and implications for development, compared with "traditional" headship? and (3) What are the distinctive aspects of appointing to the EHT role as compared with traditional headship? In order to explore these research questions, the study involved the following strands of methodology: (1) Strand A: a thematic review of HT application packs (15) and EHT application packs (15); (2) Strand B: secondary analysis of School Workforce Census (SWC) data supplemented with data from Edubase; and (3) Strand C: 12 in-depth case studies with a total of 33 interviews (encompassing 12 EHTs, 10 governors or similar role, and 11 heads of school (HoS) or similar role). Each of the three strands of methodology is discussed in turn; exploring the specific aims, sampling strategy, sample characteristics and analysis conducted. A final section describes how the three strands of data were brought together for the final report. [This appendix was co-published by The Future Leaders Trust. For the full report, see ED574411. For the Executive Summary, see ED574408. For the Review of Literature, see ED574415. For the Case Study Compendium, see ED574414.]

The Children (Leaving Care) Act 2000 was designed to address the wide variation in local authority provision for care leavers and to promote a more multi-dimensional approach to the process of leaving care. Care leavers are likely to be at greater risk of mental health difficulties than other young people and the transitional period from leaving care is felt to be a phase during which care leavers experience additional stresses and may not have the continuity of support. This report examines the extent to which developments since the Act have improved outcomes for young people leaving care, particularly those with mental health difficulties. Perhaps the strongest finding to come out of the research is the crucial role of the leaving care team and, in particular, personal advisers, for ensuring the needs of care leavers with mental health difficulties are addressed. The findings suggest the personal adviser role has been fully implemented and is leading to positive outcomes for care leavers, including those with mental health difficulties. The value of the leaving care team and personal advisers is strongly voiced by the young people involved in the research. Overall, this research has highlighted that there are gaps in the support offered to care leavers with mental health difficulties. A larger-scale look at the situation would be beneficial and would assess the extent to which the points highlighted in this research are experienced nationwide. Six appendices are included: (1) Detail of the methodology; (2) The case-study local authorities and young people; (3) The audit template; (4) Service providers participating in the research; (5) Examples of the services accessed by young people; and (6) Examples of approaches to measuring outcomes. (Contains 4 tables.)

This evaluation aimed to provide: (1) findings on the effectiveness of different activities and approaches to delivering science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), including leading practice and challenges; (2) a clear understanding of the impact of activities on pupils, teachers, the school and partners; and (3) a set of recommendations and learning points that will inform longer-term developments, including a possible STEM specialism. The report includes the following sections: (1) school context and activities undertaken; (2) impacts arising from STEM pathfinder activities; (3) lessons learned from undertaking STEM pathfinder activities; (4) schools' views of a STEM specialism; and (5) conclusions and recommendations. (Contains 2 tables and 1 box.)

This report focuses on the findings from the evaluation of the Chemistry for Non-Specialists training programme. The programme takes place over four days and covers key chemistry concepts providing hands-on experience of pupil practical work and teacher demonstrations. The research was conducted by the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) on behalf of the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) and was undertaken between February and June 2008. The project is funded by the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS), GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and the Royal Society of Chemistry. This evaluation explores the early indications of impact from the training programme on teachers' confidence and expertise to teach chemistry and pupils' experiences of chemistry in school. Based on the views of teachers, heads of science departments and pupils, a range of positive impacts from the programme were identified and the programme appears to be meeting its aim to provide non-specialist chemistry teachers with confidence, flair and enthusiasm to teach chemistry. Due to the success of the Chemistry for Non-Specialists programme, the evaluation concludes with recommendations for the continuation of the programme long term. (Contains 69 tables and 5 footnotes.)

This research, commissioned by the LGA (Local Government Association), explores whether Lead Members for Children's Services [LMCS] have enough information and support to carry out their role effectively, especially for their corporate parenting role. It also explored the overall role, including issues like manageability; commissioning; partnership working; engaging with the end user; arrangements for continuity; and training. The report draws on the data from all three phases of the research and is set out in three parts: Part One draws on data from the phase 1 proforma returns to explore the LMCS role as corporate parent. Part Two presents details from phase 2 telephone interviews examining the wider role of LMCS (with additional case-study interview data inserted in text boxes throughout). Part Three presents illustrative case studies to outline specific aspects of good practice in relation to the LMCS role in partnership working, commissioning and devolved commissioning, corporate parenting and engaging with end-users. Among the key findings were that there is a diversity in the ways the Lead Member for Children's Services role is undertaken in different authorities, with variation in the time said to be committed to the role; the amount of information, training and support lead members think they receive; and how involved they were in national and regional networks. The effectiveness of the LMCS role involves three core elements: partnership; proactivity and proximity. (Contains 13 tables and 1 figure.)

In early 2007, at the start of the Local Authorities Research Consortium's (LARC's) first year of work, local authorities (LAs) wanted to know if integration of services was having an impact on outcomes. One year on, the question has become--how can we make integrated working deliver better outcomes faster and more consistently? The shift in thinking from integrated services to integrated working is an important one, and underlines the fact that the real test is whether end users (children, young people and families) experience a "joined up" service that identifies their needs as early as possible and meets them effectively. The way to deliver that "joined up" experience will vary according to needs, geography, etc.--but the essence must surely be a shared sense of purpose and the powerful connections individual workers and teams make with other disciplines located within their Children's Trust. This study underlines the desire for such connections amongst staff and, significantly, from parents, and also the importance of a clear and shared vision within and between organisations. The picture it paints from these messages from the "front line" of children's services resonates with other current views including the Children's Plan (DCSF, 2007), the Workforce Plan (DCSF, 2008a), Narrowing the Gap (DCSF et al., 2008) and the latest guidance for Children's Trusts (DCSF, 2008b). Steady progress has been made and there are good signs of impact on outcomes, but there now needs to be a step change in the pace and consistency of that progress. (Contains 2 tables and 3 figures.) [Foreword by John Harris. For Round 1 Final Report, see ED502357.]

The focus of the Local Authorities Research Consortium's (LARC's) first year was to identify the early impact of integrated children's services and the features that promote or hinder success in improving outcomes for children and young people. The research operated in varied localities within the 14 participating Local Authorities (LAs), with one locality being chosen as the focus within each LA. (The term "locality" was understood to mean a sub-area within an authority which had some meaning for the LA and in which frontline children's services teams operated.) The research focused on three key groups of children and young people for whom integrated children's services might particularly make a difference. These groups were: (1) looked-after children (LAC); (2) children and young people with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD); and (3) young people with over 20 per cent absence from school at key stage 3. LAs were asked to select individual cases for each key group whose support exemplified some element of integration. There were several stages to the research, which was designed so that the work could be shared with a view to increasing capacity in local authorities. Therefore, LA staff also undertook data collection alongside National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) research staff. Each LA had an NFER link researcher and there was a designated LARC key contact in each authority. The project was designed to use a largely qualitative approach, capturing views on early impact from DCSs, service managers and practitioners. In addition, interviews with parents/carers and young people themselves shed light on their views of the support they were receiving. The researchers collated and analysed these different perspectives, taking into account the unique context of each LA. In essence, therefore, the study provides a unique picture of the perceptions of local managers and practitioners--and of some groups of children, young people and families--on integrated working, some four years on from Every Child Matters (HM Treasury, 2003). Their views reflect some of the findings elsewhere in the literature (such as accessibility and acceptability of services, services' greater efficiency and better information sharing between professionals). Whilst it is thought that these service changes will directly affect users, it is notable in the literature that there is, as yet, limited evidence on outcomes of integrating children's services for service users (Robinson et al., 2008). Appended are: (1) Thumbnail outlines of the 14 LAs; (2) About the study; and (3) Barriers and enablers of integrated working: A Summary of the literature. A glossary of terms from the literature relating to multi-agency activity is also included. [For related Summary Report, see ED502396.]

With many thousands of home-educated children across the UK, the subject of support for the home-education community is widely debated. A report conducted by the NFER for the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation is based on detailed interviews with 20 home educators and presents findings on support needs. This Research Briefing illustrates some key findings and messages taken from the research. [Research for this report was sponsored by the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation. For associated report, see ED502445.]

The National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) was commissioned by the Royal Society to complete a study exploring the potential of a Fellowship programme for early- to mid-career education researchers in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). The study was set within the broader context of increasing capacity in STEM education research and was intended to assist the Royal Society in its aim to ensure that the next generation of leading STEM education researchers are recruited and sustained in their careers. Hence the study scopes perceptions around relevant issues in this arena, including: (1) career routes into STEM education research; (2) the drivers of STEM education research; (3) the distribution of expertise within STEM education research; (4) the interactions between STEM education research, and policy and practice; (5) aspects of international collaboration and competitiveness; and (6) the enabling factors and barriers to building and sustaining expertise in STEM education research. The study was organised into four phases of data collection, beginning with a rapid response search of literature. This was followed by collecting the views of 16 policy and practice representatives via telephone interviews/proforma. The third strand of data collection involved interviews with 30 STEM education researchers across the UK (25 from England and the remainder from Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales). Towards the end of the project a focus group was held to discuss emerging findings and consider in more depth the possible contribution of a fellowship programme. (Contains 1 footnote.)