EEFective Kent Project - final cohort of Evidence Champions training
11 May 2023
Bookings are now open for a third cohort of Evidence Champions.
With the EEFective Kent Project (EKP) drawing to a close at the end of this academic year, this is your final opportunity to engage in this course. The training will be delivered by Durrington Research School and is being fully funded by the project. Schools and academies in the Kent County Council area are eligible to send two delegates.
The Evidence Champion training consists of three online modules:
- Thursday 8 June 2023 from 3:30pm to 5:30pm - What is an Evidence Champion? Why do schools need an Evidence Champion?
- Tuesday 20 June 2023 from 3:30pm to 5:30pm - What sources of evidence are available and how can we evaluate their usefulness?
- Monday 10 July 2023 from 3:30 to 5:30pm - How can schools effectively mobilise the research evidence and evaluate its impact?
Following the training, participating schools will be eligible for additional funding in the form of a ‘set-up grant’ from the EKP to embed and sustain this work in their context. Please note the set-up grant is per school and not per Evidence Champion across all rounds, therefore a school can only receive one set-up grant. Small schools may want to collaborate across networks and federations to enable them to engage with the offer.
Please find information below about the role of an Evidence Champion and why schools will benefit from this. Further details can be found on the Durrington Research School website where you can find a recording of the Evidence Champion information session held for the first round. It provides valuable insight into how the role can practically and strategically support the school.
To book your places, please visit the Durrington Research School website
Places are limited and will be allocated in order of application.
If you have any questions, please email EEFectiveKentProject@kent.gov.uk
About the role and why schools will benefit from having an Evidence Champion
One of the greatest challenges of school leadership is ensuring that we are focusing our time, energy and efforts into the school improvement priorities that will give our children the best possible chance of success. Using the research evidence ensures that the priorities we identify, and the approaches we use, are framed around ‘best bets’ - what the research evidence says is most likely to work. This matters because the education of the young people who come to our schools is too important to be left to chance. Using the research evidence to shape what we do gives us the best possible chance of being successful.
The Evidence Champion is an in-school role, and a powerful opportunity to develop and recognise a teacher or leader in your organisation with a demonstrable, keen interest in research evidence. Through the EEFective Kent Project, schools will be able to access the fully-funded Evidence Champion training run by the EEF’s Research Schools Network. Participating schools will be eligible for some additional funding to embed and sustain this work in their context (e.g. for staff release or work time). Smaller schools may want to collaborate across networks and federations to enable them to engage with the offer.
The Evidence Champion role is an integral part of the wider partnership between the EEFective Kent Project and Kent Association of Headteachers (KAH).