Research and Innovation
Welcome to our Research and Innovation Showcase. At Exceed Learning Partnership, we believe in the powerful mantra: "Every Child, Every Chance, Every Day." To live this mission, we don't just follow established practice - we interrogate it through evidence-based inquiry to ensure we are delivering the very best outcomes for our pupils, particularly those facing the greatest barriers to success.
Our commitment to action-led research allows our educators to become "teacher-researchers," using the classroom as a laboratory for innovation. By grounding our work in local needs and supporting it with academic rigour, we are creating a "community of practice" that fosters professional growth and measurable student progress.
Here are some of the research projects we have undertaken so far...
A Class Act: Drama-Based Pedagogy
This project investigated the impact of a story-based and drama-led curriculum on the social and emotional development of Year 4 pupils. By creating "safe imaginary spaces," we helped students build the confidence and oracy skills needed to solve relationship challenges and engage more deeply with their learning.
You can read more about the project here.
Opening Doors to Creativity: Trust-Wide Storytelling
Following the success of our initial research, we are now scaling our storytelling pedagogy across all eight primary academies.
Through our "Storytelling Experts" and a graduated approach involving visiting artists, we are embedding these creative strategies into our daily curriculum.
Technical Excellence: The ENTHUSE Partnership
We have transformed Design & Technology (D&T) from a peripheral "arts and crafts" activity into a rigorous technical discipline. By focusing on the "Research, Design, Make, Evaluate" process, we are empowering our students to think like engineers. Subject leads reported increased confidence in delivering high-level technical units, moving beyond "aesthetic making" to functional problem-solving.
You can read more about the project here.
Ongoing Innovation: EYFS Language & Writing Project
Our current research focus is on the "language deficit" often faced by disadvantaged learners in the Early Years. This ongoing project seeks to strengthen practitioner subject knowledge and develop a language-rich curriculum to ensure every child is prepared for the transition to Year 1.
We are currently implementing specialist CPD for EYFS leads and staff, focusing on high-quality adult-child interactions and transcriptional automaticity in writing.
