How national research projects can support evidence-informed school improvement

How national research projects can support evidence-informed school improvement

At ImpactEd Evaluation, we are expanding our use of national school research projects as a core methodological approach. These projects enable education leaders to move beyond isolated data, generate meaningful benchmarking, and learn as part of a wider research community.  

As the system continues to ask more of schools, around attendance, inclusion, wellbeing and behaviour, leaders are increasingly looking for evidence that goes beyond their setting or isolated data points. Our national research projects are designed to meet that need: enabling schools and trusts to generate robust, actionable insight, benchmark meaningfully, and learn as part of a wider research community.

These projects sit at the intersection of research and practice. They allow schools not only to understand what is happening in their own context, but to place that understanding within a national picture, which in turn supports more confident, evidence-informed decision-making.

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Why national research projects matter for schools and trusts

Our national projects share a common methodology and purpose. They are built to support leaders to move from insight to action, while contributing to a growing evidence base that benefits the wider system.

In an era of rapid change, the traditional ways of responding to challenges often fall short. School leaders need more than quick fixes or superficial data points. They need deep insights, informed by comprehensive research, that reflect the realities of their own contexts while also contributing to the larger picture.

Our national research projects are designed to meet this need by offering:

• Actionable insights that are not just theoretical but deeply grounded in the day-to-day realities of schools. This empowers leaders to act with confidence. These capture pupil voice alongside staff and parent/carer perspectives, designed to surface factors schools can influence.

• Meaningful benchmarking that allows schools to compare their performance against similar contexts, helping them to target interventions with precision and effectiveness.

• Be part of a wider research community, sharing practice, learning from others, and contributing to national insight rather than working in isolation.

Importantly, these projects recognise that complex challenges rarely have universal solutions. Context matters and our approach is designed to help leaders understand the specific drivers at play in their schools and trusts.

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Take part

There are still opportunities for schools and trusts to get involved in both Understanding Attendance and Inclusive Environments for Every Child this term.

We are also planning to launch a third national research project later this year and look forward to sharing more details in due course.

At ImpactEd Evaluation, we firmly believe that when schools are supported to understand their context deeply, and to learn alongside others, they are better placed to create environments where all pupils can thrive.

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Understanding Attendance: from insight to action

One of our longest-running national research projects is Understanding Attendance, now in its third year.

Attendance is shaped by far more than policy or procedure. How pupils feel about school, their relationships with adults and peers, their sense of belonging, and their home context all influence whether they attend every day. Our research is grounded in the belief that understanding these wider factors is essential if leaders are to target support effectively.

Launched in 2023, Understanding Attendance is a national research project exploring the relationship between pupils’ social, emotional and behavioural experiences and their attendance. Over the past two terms, more than 70,000 pupils across England have taken part.

The research has already generated important insights, including the role of belonging and a marked decline in both attendance and associated social and emotional measures between Year 7 and Year 8. This growing evidence base has directly informed the development of our targeted diagnostic and a sophisticated approach to benchmarking.

Throughout the year, alongside the targeted diagnostic and benchmarked reporting, partners are supported through community events, newsletters, case studies and shared practice, reinforcing the value of being part of a national research cohort rather than working alone.

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Inclusive Environments for Every Child: a new national research project

This term, we are also launching a new national research project: Inclusive Environments for Every Child, delivered in collaboration with Challenge Partners.

As national policy and research around inclusion continues to evolve, this project is designed to help schools understand inclusion as it is experienced in their own setting through the perspectives of pupils, staff and families.

Reflecting the DfE’s five SEND principles (Early, Local, Fair, Effective, Shared), the project focuses on three interconnected domains shown by research to shape every child’s school experience:

• The Leadership Environment – how strategic vision, operational delivery and relationships create the conditions for inclusion.

• The Teaching Environment – the quality and consistency of teaching and the support provided to enable all pupils to participate in learning.

• The Physical Environment – the often-overlooked impact of spaces, sensory factors and transitions on pupils’ readiness to learn.

A defining feature of this project is its commitment to a broad range of voices. By capturing pupil, staff and parent/carer perspectives, schools are better able to distinguish between universal barriers and those that disproportionately affect particular groups, a critical distinction for effective resource allocation and strategic planning.

As with all our national projects, the aim is to provide actionable insights that move beyond theory and support real change in practice.

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Being part of a wider research community

Across our two current projects, and all future national research, participation means more than receiving a report.

Schools and trusts are supported through:

• Action-focused diagnostics and benchmarking

• Dedicated 1:1 partnership manager support

• Access to cohort-level insights and national findings

• Opportunities to share practice and learn with others

• Regular research updates and system-level learning

This collective approach strengthens individual schools’ decision-making while also contributing to a growing national evidence base.

Get in touch

If you're looking to deepen your understanding of the barriers in your context and work alongside other schools to share and apply learning, we would love you to join us.

For more information, sign up or view our upcoming webinar.

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