Principal investigators
- Professor Toby Greany
- Professor Andy Noyes
Research team
- Dr Cath Gripton - Co-investigator
- Dr Tom Cowhitt - Research Fellow
- Dr Georgina Hudson - Research Fellow
Project duration
September 2021 to March 2023
Funding body
Wellcome Trust
Background
Schooling in England is complex and evolving. There are multiple models for knowledge exchange, and multiple ways in which teacher professional learning is cultivated, including through curriculum hubs, multi-academy trusts and a variety of networks.
Using primary mathematics as a case study lens, this research explored how primary schools and teachers engage in professional learning across three localities – a city, a town and a rural shire area.
In each locality, a representative sample of local system leaders and school-based staff (heads, maths leads and class teachers) were interviewed. A conceptual framework was developed identifying six theoretically salient features of a local learning landscape; this was used to structure the research analysis.
The research report - ‘Local Learning Landscapes: exploring coherence, equity and quality in teacher professional development in England’ was published in March 2023.
A clear finding from the research was that the local professional development offer was experienced as fragmented by most primary schools. However, the level and nature of this incoherence differed widely between the three localities, with important implications for quality and equity.
Download final report
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