Essex Research School

Essex Research School is based at Lyons Hall Primary School in Braintree. Lyons Hall is one of the three schools that make up the Learning Pathways Trust and is a relatively new Research School having launched in 2023. Its director is Kate Alliston, a primary teacher with over 20 years’ experience.

What is a Research School?

There are currently 33 Research Schools across England supported by the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF). The EEF is dedicated to breaking the link between family income and educational achievement through better use of evidence. Research Schools provide support to educational settings by communicating research evidence and supporting the translation of this into practice. This is done through training, exemplification and school-to-school support.

What is Essex Research School's role in Essex?

Essex Research School’s purpose is to translate and share the most up-to-date evidence-based classroom practice to make it accessible for all schools across the county. They do this by:

Producing a half-termly newsletter with information about upcoming events and research.
Writing blogs/articles about putting evidence and guidance into practice in schools. These include case-studies or examples from different classroom settings.
Online and in-person training. An online event on oracy into writing was held on 24^th January with Chris Williams. His Chatta approach, which he sees as the ‘halfway house between thinking and writing uses pictures to inspire children’s language and plan their ideas.

Get involved

Visit these websites for more information:

Sign up for Essex Research School’s half-termly newsletter here. This will let you know of any upcoming events, blogs and videos.

Read the Essex Research School blog here.