Helen Barker, Teacher Assessment Manager

Please note: All our positions for the Research Mark pilot are full

Kitemarks are a useful way for schools to both develop aspects of their practice at all levels, as well as to showcase their achievements to their wider community. Various kitemarks and awards are available for schools, often linked to subject-specific achievements and developments.

The Chartered College of Teaching is focused on empowering a knowledgeable teaching profession, so that teachers and leaders can make the best choices for their children and young people. Since 2019 we have been accrediting teachers with Chartered Status, and this has now extended to Chartered Status pathways for leaders and mentors, too. Being evidence-informed is a key part of these pathways, as teachers, leaders and mentors critically engage with research and evidence, considering how the findings might apply within their context, and utilising their professional knowledge and judgement. This is a powerful way of leveraging research and evidence to ultimately improve outcomes for children and young people.

Having been able to accredit teachers, leaders and mentors in this way led us to consider how we might be able to celebrate research engagement at a broader whole school or trust level, to recognise the excellent work being carried out in this area. This is where research and evidence is considered when making decisions at all levels of the school or trust, and runs through aspects of culture, leadership, CPD, classroom teaching and also within the organisation’s wider community. 

We are therefore thrilled to have been able to adapt and update Research Mark, formally offered by NFER, as a pilot for UK-based schools and trusts. Supported by an online hub on our MyPD platform, schools and trusts will be able to work through a period of self-evaluation, before developing and evidencing their research engagement. 

We are currently in the process of gauging interest and allowing interested schools and trusts to register with us. The pilot itself will officially launch in January 2024, with the pilot conclusion at the end of that calendar year. After the pilot finishes, there will be a period of feedback and evaluation, so that we can judge the effectiveness of the Research Mark kitemark before deciding on next steps.

You can find out more details on our Research Mark webpage.