Unleashing greatness: EEF's three-year evaluation of Schools Partnership Programme

Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) has released a report of their findings from a three-year evaluation of the Schools Partnership Programme. This is one of the largest school improvement evaluations in the UK, looking at the effectiveness and influence of partnership-based peer review.

Our Schools Partnership Programme (SPP) is a collaborative approach to school improvement, recovery, and reimagining of the education system in the UK. Developed in partnership with and for schools, it provides schools with the essential tools and support which they need to drive their own improvement, in an increasingly autonomous school system.

We have worked together with more than 2,000 schools across England and Wales, alongside the local systems that support them. We provide training and a supportive network to empower staff and leaders with the professional development, tools, and framework to collaboratively address areas for improvement.

Schools on SPP both participate in and deliver improvement workshops and peer review. This enables staff and school leaders to reflect and evaluate the impact of systems, teaching and learning. By using and sharing evidence more rigorously and transparently, schools create a sustainable cycle of improvement.

About the evaluation

The evaluation ran between January 2018 and December 2021 with 422 primary schools in 89 clusters taking part. Due to the emergence of Covid-19, Standards and Testing data (SATs) were not available. The lead evaluator for this report, Dr David Godfrey, Associate Professor in Education Leadership and Management at UCL, used data from surveys, case studies and interviews with matched schools. This data formed the basis of the evaluation, analysing the effectiveness of SPP training and peer-review processes.

Report highlights

The results from the evaluation are strong, with school leaders reporting that SPP:

Develops stronger partnerships, trust and ownership of change
Develops clear structures and processes to collaborate more rigorously and transparently
Develops skills of staff and leaders to share sustainable school improvement
Empowers teachers and leaders with coaching and facilitative tools for evidence-based actions
Many of these benefits were more keenly found in schools with higher levels of deprivation

Following the programme:

91% of participants rated the SPP framework for reviewing, training and materials as being of very high quality
84% agreed the benefits that accrue from undertaking SPP reviews justify the time and effort involved
77% said that participating in SPP has increased confidence in their school leadership team’s capacity to make improvements to their school.

To find out more about the evaluation and download the full report, visit www.schoolspartnershipprogramme.com/unleashing-greatness

Find out more

To find out more about the evaluation and Schools Partnership Programme, contact Emma Carney, SPP Programme Delivery Manager

E: partnerships@educationdevelopmenttrust.com

We are in our third cycle of the programme. There’s still lots of discussion about what future reviews might be and we are beginning to explore whether our English and Maths teachers can now lead review – sustaining the model and bringing it forward.
Pip Utting, Headteacher, Burlington Junior School

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