Flare

Home and news

Last updated 1/7/2008

Welcome to this site dedicated to promoting enquiry and research in the Essex education community. We recognise the value of individuals and schools engaging in research activities because it makes a significant contribution to improved learning and teaching and to school improvement. Engagement with research encourages practitioners question, explore and develop their practice. Research enquiry is also an integral element of continuing professional development.

We are very interested in your research. please use this site to submit your research so we can add to our content to share with others.

Graham Handscomb

New FLARE Publication. Making Research Make a Difference

Commissioned by the DCSF working in partnership with Essex LA and was carried out by Caroline Sharp from NFER. The work is an account of a small scale investigation to show the difference practitioner research makes in terms of measurable outcomes for pupils, staff and schools. The report gives evidence that school-based enquiry and practitioner research does have impact on pupil outcomes in particular, and also on outcomes in terms of staff development and school improvement. View full report.

DCSF themed 18 Month Programme of gender-related activities

We would be very pleased to hear from schools, teacher educators, LAs and researchers and organisations about any work you are undertaking on gender issues which will have findings reporting before June 2009 – or events that cover gender issues which will be held by the end of the same period.
View word doc for more information. If you are interested in taking part in our gender activities
please complete the short form... open doc
and email it to: research.summaries@dcsf.gsi.gov.uk
by the end of December 2007.

New Publication from the: Essex Forum for Learning and Research/Enquiry ( FLARE )

Essex ASTs Working together to make a difference in school improvement

This publication gives an outline of a collaborative project in which the LA worked with a secondary school exploring how a team of Advanced Skills Teachers could bring benefit to a group of three schools in challenging circumstances. This publication looks at the particular value of ASTs working as a team together rather than as a lone AST....view pdf doc

The DFES has commissioned CUREE (the Centre for the Use of Research and Evidence in Education) to undertake a review of all the research into the impact of networks. The results of this review have just been published and FLARE is delighted that it has gained permission to publish these important findings on its website....View word doc

Research undertaken by Essex looked at collaboration and an integrated multi-agency approach to improving education. The research took place in about 150 schools. Each was working collaboratively within 8 clusters. The clusters comprised of: primary clusters: and clusters with a mixture of primary, secondary and special. The research was undertaken by senior managers from the LA; by clusters of schools; and at individual school level.

Essex NSCL LEArning initiative (broardband)
Essex NSCL LEArning initiative (dial up)
Essex NSCL LEArning initiative Spring (Broardband)
Essex NSCL LEArning initiative Spring (dial up)

Letter to headteachers to announce the invitation to submit research to the FLARE website...View word doc

Invitation to become a member of the Essex Forum for Learning and Research and Enquiry (FLARE) ...View word doc

Latest News

Did you know about the FLARE Certificate of Enquiry and Research...more

Other News

Some of the articles on the Home Page have been moved to a new page click to view

Mantle of the Expert: Word on the Street.
For one year we have been engaged in creative teaching and learning based on the concept of Mantle of the Expert developed by British drama educator, Dorothy Heathcote. Our agreed purpose was to research the impact of social learning contexts on behaviours, attitudes to learning and academic achievement in the primary school classroom View full report

For further information on Mantle of the Expert you might like to visit: www.moe.com and www.e-gfl.org

The DFES has commissioned
CUREE (the Centre for the Use of Research and Evidence in Education) to undertake a review of all the research into the impact of networks. The results of this review have just been published and FLARE is delighted that it has gained permission to publish these important findings on its website. view word doc

Research and enquiry
It wishes to encourage people who work in schools, and in the educational community at large, to both use and engage in research activity. The forum sees this as making a significant contribution to improved teaching and learning. Engagement with research also encourages practitioners to question, explore and develop their practice and is an integral element of continuing professional development. This site will give regular news about FLARE developments, showcase research taking place in Essex schools, and network research activity locally, nationally and internationally.

Building Schools for the Future
To help with Essexs` preparation for Building School for the Future (BSF) development we have commissioned Dr. Jane McGregor to produce a summary of the literature and research relating to BSF. In addition to a description of the scheme and appendices with details, it provides a summary of current thinking on many of the aspects relating to BSF, particularly around the drivers of change for school design and what we now know about learning. If you would like to view this doc,
please e-mail Flare: flare@essexcc.gov.uk

For more information please e-mail Flare: flare@essexcc.gov.uk


Bright Web Designs	FLARE Forum for Learning and Research