SPP and UCL knowledge exchange brings together European partners to peer review

Together we are embarking on a global school peer review project through UCL’s Knowledge Exchange programme supported by ”la Caixa” Foundation, based in Spain, and Vrije University in Amsterdam.  

The project will involve head teachers from England, Spain and the Netherlands taking part in the respective school peer review programmes.

Meet our Knowledge Exchange Leaders

“It’s clear that there is huge appetite for peer learning between schools internationally and this project is testament to that. We are so pleased that we are working precisely within the spirit of peer review – learning from observing in-situ and with fascinating professional dialogue.”

Dr David Godfrey, Associate Professor and UCL project lead

“The involvement of the "la Caixa" Foundation in this international project is highly significant for us, especially considering the recent launch of our collaborative peer review programme with schools all around Spain. Collaborating with, as well as gaining insights and receiving feedback from organisations with well-established expertise, like EDT, adds immeasurable value to our work.”

Núria Vives Font, Teachers’ Professional Development Programmes Lead at La Caixa Foundation

“Expert school OBS Wereldwijs, which participates in the education and knowledge network of Amsterdam (more than 220 primary schools), believes it is important to learn with and from each other. It is the basis of development and improvement. This international project provides opportunities to share our good practices and takes us all one step further!”

Paula Hoonhout, School leader of Primary school Wereldwijs – member of ONA (education en knowlegde network of Amsterdam), member of the audit team.

England has been recognised globally as a pioneer in school improvement programmes centred around peer review, and this methodology is increasingly being adopted worldwide. Our School’s Partnership Programme is one of the largest and most respected peer review programmes in the UK. We provide training, a framework, and a process to enable school leadership teams to take ownership of improving school culture and generating lasting change through a continuous cycle of self-review, peer review, collaboration and improvement workshops. The programme has a phenomenal track record, having worked with close to 8,900 senior and middle leaders in UK schools to help them support each other with peer reviews and improvement workshops, using robust evidence and research.  

“Peer review as a mechanism for at scale school accountability and improvement is one of the most significant breakthroughs in education system strengthening since recognition of the importance of instructional leadership. SPP represents some of the very best practice in the world in this area, as evidenced by the Education Endowment Foundation evaluation. Our Research Team is excited to be working to understand how this can be applied more widely through international comparisons.”

Dr Richard Churches, Global Head of Research at EDT

The primary focus areas of the Knowledge Exchange project will be:  

• Peer-to-peer school collaboration, with a special emphasis on the seamless integration of academic research into this process 
• Transnational school peer reviews, exploring the potential benefits and best practices of international peer review  
• Optimal implementation of collaborative learning in schools, promoting a deeper understanding of how to effectively implement peer-to-peer collaborative learning. 

Making global knowledge exchange and peer review accessible for all schools is of vital importance to ensure equal access to quality education. EDT will dedicate substantial effort throughout this project to address the challenges of conducting transnational peer reviews where constrained budgets and high levels of deprivation create barriers to participation. 

We are proud to be part of this project which has the potential to elevate the impact of school improvement networks and ultimately enhance outcomes in leadership, teaching quality, and student achievement both in the UK and internationally, and are looking forward to collaborating with our partners. 

To find out more about SPP, please click here.