Strategic Forum for Research in Education

This webpage provides a brief overview of education research in England and links for more information.

It is difficult to separate England from the rest of the UK when looking at provision and funding of educational research. While Government is split in this way, many other funders and providers are not.

 

Funding for research

There is no formal estimate of the value of education research in England, but one attempt to calculate this was an OECD review of education research in England (CERI, 2002). According to this, research funding totals £70-75 million a year. Most of this comes from Government through the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) (60%), the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) (5%), and direct commissions from Government Departments and agencies (14%). The remainder comes from charities (7%) and other sources, mainly the private sector, industry or the European Union (EU).

HEFCE provides block grant funding to support the research infrastructure and these funds are spent at institutions’ discretion.  Universities are awarded the resources on the basis of a Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) which is UK-wide. The latest was in 2008.

The ESRC provides funding through the Teaching and Learning Research Programme (which is also UK-wide) which has the aim of ‘supporting and developing UK educational research to improve outcomes for learners of all ages’.

Government funding comes primarily from the Department for Children, Families and Schools (DCSF) and the Department for Innovation, Universities, and Skills (DIUS).  Research reports commissioned by DCSF and DIUS are available from the DCSF research website. These two Departments were created in 2007 and responsibility for education is split between them. DCSF has responsibility for children’s services, pre-school and compulsory schooling. DIUS has responsibility for higher education, lifelong learning and skills. DCSF and DIUS share responsibility for the wellbeing and education of children aged 16-19.

 The DCSF Analysis and Evidence Strategy provides an overview of current and future analytical priorities for this Department. A DIUS analytical strategy is currently being developed and will be published later in the year. 

 

Where research is undertaken

According to the OECD review (CERI, 2002), approximately 90% of education research is undertaken by lecturers and research staff employed in university departments of education, and the majority of funding (over 80% of research income in England, from whatever source – government, charities and research councils) goes to just 22 institutions. Key institutions include, for example, the University of London Institute of Education, Kings College London, University of Cambridge, University of Bristol and the University of Oxford (based on percentage of research quality at 4* in 2008 RAE).

There is also considerable research in the education field undertaken by charities and not-for profit organisations, as well as think tanks and commercial research organisations (again primarily based in England, but operating UK wide). Of particular note as well is the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) is a not-for-profit organisation carrying out research in the field of education and children’s services.

The Centre for Excellence and Outcomes in Children and Young People’s Services (C4EO) is a new organisation, developed for the children’s sector. C4EO identifies and coordinates local, regional and national evidence of ‘what works’, to create a single and comprehensive picture of effective practice in delivering children’s services.  C4EO has four key partners: C4EO has four core partners: National Children’s Bureau (NCB), National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER), Research in Practice (RiP), Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE)

 

Education Research in England

During the 1990s there were several critical analyses of educational R&D systems in England (see the OECD report already mentioned, and the Hillage report). Common themes in the reports were the low level of funding for educational research, skill shortages in key areas, the engagement of practitioners and fostering of effective communications, many of which were discussed in more detail in the England report for SFRE Forum I.

As a response to these reports a National Educational Research Forum (NERF) was created which operated from 1999 -2006, as was an evidence synthesis centre (EPPI-Centre) and a set of dedicated research centres (see Wider Benefits of Learning Centre, and Centre for Economics of Education). DCSF are planning to commission a new set of research centres during 2009/10. 

In terms of practitioner involvement, the DCSF supports The Research Informed Practice Site (TRIPS) and the What Works Well Knowledgebase which coordinate research and evidence aimed at improving practice. The National Teacher Research Panel is an independent group of teachers who work to promote practitioner involvement in research and the use of research-informed practice. It is supported by the Centre for the Use of Research and Evidence in Education (CUREE). The Teacher Learning Academy (led by the GTCE and delivered by Cambridge Education) provides continued professional development rooted in practitioner research and inquiry. The introducation of the Masters in Teaching and Learning (MTL) should also support practitioner research and evidence-informed practice.

Two initiatives to improve the dissemination of research are also worth mentioning here, even though they are both UK-wide The CERUK database (Current Educational Research in the UK) was established to provide access to current and ongoing research, and this was extended to include children’s services research in 2008.  More recently, a collaboration between a number of organisations, and primarily supported by CFBT Education Trust, has developed the Educational Evidence Portal to help users find educational evidence from a range of reputable UK sources using a single free web search.

Last updated April 2009