Teacher training business wins second royal accolade

A North East teacher training business has achieved a prestigious royal accolade for the second time.

Sunderland's Evidence Based Education (EBE) has been awarded a King's Award for Enterprise in the innovation category, marking a significant milestone in its journey to improve teacher development.

Recognising its pioneering efforts, the King's Award cited the business's cutting-edge feedback tools and professional development resources, which it states are 'helping improve education globally.'

Having initially won the award in 2019, Evidence Based Education has since grown, with its team almost doubling in size and the company now working with more than 40,000 teachers across the world, including contracts in the Middle East and South East Asia.

The latest step in EBE's development, leading to this award win, is the creation of pioneering feedback tools within the Great Teaching Toolkit, an end-to-end package of professional development to support teachers throughout their entire career.

Jack Deverson MBE, CEO of Evidence Based Education, said: "We're honoured to win this award for a second time. It's huge validation of the work we do and the hours we put in day in, day out.

"We've grown a great deal in the last five years, both as a business and in the tools we provide. The Great Teaching Toolkit takes the best of what we know about teacher development, and uses technology to provide ongoing, career-long support for teachers and schools. Ultimately, even greater teaching leads to better learning for students; this is our driving force as an organisation."

EBE works to help school staff access robust feedback, high-quality training and resources, and to impact on teaching and learning in a way which is sustained and likely to lead to positive change in the classroom.

"Asking for feedback in any walk of life is quite daunting, and teaching is no different," Jack added. "We have worked with teachers in schools across the region to help develop and refine our tools, and we ensure any feedback is private to the teacher, which hopefully provides trust and reassurance. This model of professional development also allows teachers the time and autonomy to grow and improve their practice over the long term."

Working in collaboration with The National Institute of Teaching (NIOT), EBE's next project is to research and evidence the impact of an individual teacher's practice on student learning and outcomes, building on its teacher development work and 'closing the feedback loop'.

Through new research and the expansion of the Great Teaching Toolkit, the organisation has ambitious plans to create more jobs within the region, while improving education at scale.

Evidence Based Education has been working with the business investment team at Sunderland City Council since they moved to the city in 2019, which has provided the company with the support required to accelerate its ambitious growth plans.

Thanks to affordable office space, a supportive local authority, the ability to recruit skilled people, and opportunities to collaborate with local businesses to expand its reach across the region, EBE has been able to thrive with backing from Sunderland City Council.

Cllr Kevin Johnston said: "I'm delighted to see Evidence Based Education awarded the King's Award for Innovation.

"It's great to see their drive and ambition as they grow further and we're proud to have supported them on their journey. They've made a real difference in the region, improving education in our schools while creating jobs and we look forward to seeing where they go from here as they continue to develop and grow."

Established in 1966, the King's Award for Enterprise celebrates and encourages the exceptional accomplishments of UK businesses across key areas such as innovation, international trade, sustainable development and promoting opportunity.

For more information about how Sunderland City Council's business investment team can help your business, visit: https://www.mysunderland.co.uk/business-and-investment, contact business@sunderland.gov.uk or call 0191 561 1194.