As part of our on-going programme of work to understand which intervention can improve educational outcomes for children with a social worker, What Works for Children’s Social Care (WWCSC) is recruiting Virtual Schools in England to participate in a new trial of Research Learning Communities (RLC).

RLC is a whole school intervention where designated teachers from each school attend RLC workshops during the academic year 2021/22, in which they discuss research with academic experts and colleagues from other schools. The focus will be on maths and English but specific areas e.g. metacognition in English, will be determined in discussion with the Virtual School Heads and Designated Teachers. Previous research by WWCSC identified RLC as showing signs of potential in improving educational outcomes for children with a social worker.

The delivery partner, Durham University is recruiting virtual schools who will then select primary schools to be part of the intervention. To be eligible, these primaries would need to have at least one student in year 5 or 6 who had had a social worker in the last six years, and ideally at least one student in those years who is, or has been in care.

This webinar will provide local authorities and virtual schools with more information about Research Learning Communities, the evaluation process, and what is required from participants.

This webinar will be recorded. By signing up to the webinar you are agreeing to be contacted by WWCSC regarding further information about the project. Our Privacy Policy is available here.

Introduction to Research Learning Communities