Expert support for schools to design and deliver professional development, evaluation and evidence gathering

About the fund

The Department for Education Strategic School Improvement Fund (SSIF) is a fund intended to build a school-led system, and targets resources at the schools most in need of improvements in performance and student attainment. Activities include interventions designed to improve leadership, teaching approaches, and governance, among others.

The fund provides grants for schools to engage in the design and delivery of these interventions. It supports primary, secondary, middle, all-through, pupil referral units, alternative provision and special academies and maintained schools. Teaching schools and multi-academy trusts can submit applications to the Department for Education for funding on behalf of the sector to address improvement priorities across groups of schools.

Please see the DfE's Guidance to learn more about the SSIF.

SIoE's role

Colleagues in the Sheffield Institute of Education, from a range of education disciplines, are providing expert help and support for schools to design and deliver activities such as professional development for teachers, evaluation, and evidence gathering.

These collaborations not only enable schools to tap into the vast range of expertise on offer from SIoE colleagues, ensuring a link between theory and practice, but also enable academic colleagues to add to their research-informed practice by working closely with teacher practitioners.