ABSTRACT
A research-informed culture has been described as follows: The research engaged school is one in which teachers believe it is in their interest, and in the interest of their pupils, to be critical of received wisdom, to be sceptical of easy answers, to have a desire for evidence and to foster ‘aggressive curiosity’. Building a research-informed culture requires leadership and this starts with the Headteacher having a vision of what research can do for the school. This was most clearly illustrated in a series of interviews with senior staff in a large Primary school. In most of the schools in our research, a member of teaching staff had been identified to take on the role of coordinating research activity. For some, this role was part of a broader remit around staff development; for others the role was situated within a teaching and learning focus; for others, ‘research coordination’ was a post in its own right.
