Don Valley: Funding support

A new Research School will be formed at Don Valley Academy after it secured £210,000 in funding across three academic years.

It joins the Education Endowment Foundation’s (EEF) network of Research Schools across England whose main role is to support schools to improve teaching practice.

They will communicate research evidence and support the translation of this into practice through training, exemplification and school-to-school assistance. Exchange Research School at Don Valley Academy will receive EEF funding from September to July, 2026, to support local schools to improve pupil outcomes through better use of evidence.

This will consist of a core annual grant to cover leadership time, staff development as well as training to support evidence-led practice in the local region.

It is one of six new Research Schools announced by the EEF. The others are in Hampshire, Essex, Gloucestershire, North London and the West Midlands.

Since 2016, the EEF’s Research Schools Network has reached more than 10,000 schools across England through training and events on supporting evidenceinformed teaching practice.

The appointment of these new Research Schools – through a competitive application processis part of the EEF’s new regional strategy, which aims to provide direct support around making, and acting on, evidence informed