In his paper, 'The Knowledge-Creating School', David Hargreaves proposes that schools are key players in the generation of better professional knowledge: of what constitute the most effective teaching and learning practices. The problem is that, much professional knowledge about teaching and learning is locked in the heads of individual teachers and protected by the privacy of their classrooms.

Hargreaves highlights key features characterising knowledge-creating institutions including:

• The encouragement of 'tinkering' or informal enquiry into practice to determine how to improve learning outcomes;

• A scheme of more formal practitioner enquiry, researching key teaching practices.

Successful schools will also have developed a variety of approaches to ensure that the outcomes of this work can be effectively validated and then disseminated both within the institution and beyond.

St Ivo School strongly believes in the approach of being a knowledge creating school. Over recent years there has been a range of activities intended to support this philosophy. The school has had links with the Faculty of Education at Cambridge University since 1997 as part of the SUPER (Schools and University Partnership into Educational Research) scheme. The focus for the SUPER scheme has been: Leadership for Learning, Student Voice and Independence of Thinking and Learning.

Currently, the Assistant Headteacher assigned as the school Student Voice co-ordinator (SVC) is Mr Dan Wilson. A Teacher Research co-ordinator (TRC) is in the process of being re-assigned at the time of writing.

Past research projects that have been completed within St Ivo include (click on a link to access a PDF document about the research project):

• Effective use of ICT in GCSE Geography.

• Student strategies to improve assessed practical marks in Science.

• The use of creative images in teaching RE (BPRS Level 3 report also available).

• Stimulating creativity in Art GCSE � investigating the effectiveness of involving students with professional artists, particularly boys.

• Formative assessment in Music at KS3.

• Tracking systems at KS5 - to review existing practices in other schools and assessing the particular needs of the school to track academically and pastorally throughout the school.

• Retention in the 6^th Form � to develop analysis methods for the retention of students and addressing the reasons for leaving courses in the 6^th Form.

• Assessment and progression through the Key Stages - taking key data from the key stages and developing a predictive tool for GCSE and AS/A2.

• Left handedness and learning - effective strategies for left handers.

• Thinking skills and independent learning.

To support research within the school the Governors have set aside money to fund research focussing on �best practice�. This work will tend to be departmentally based and will be shared with other members of the team to ensure that practice alters as a result of the work. The clear aim of the process is to improve teaching and learning in response to the outcomes of the work.