Research into evidence mobilisation across the early years sector in England

Expressions of interest are sought for qualitative research to understand how best to mobilise evidence of 'what works' from across the Department for Education's Early Years Social Mobility (EYSM) programme, as well as early years (EY) research and evaluation from the sector and academia more widely, into early years practice across a range of actors working in the early years sector.

In July 2018, the Government set an ambition by 2028 to halve the proportion of children aged 5 that finish their Reception year without reaching the expected standard in early communication, language and literacy. Successfully meeting this ambition will require effective early years interventions and practice being implemented at all levels of the EY system. The Department for Education (DfE) will be spending over £100m on the EYSM programme and this will build the body of evidence on effective early years interventions and practice. This research will help the department to understand how to mobilse this evidence into practice and implement it locally.

The department proposes qualitative research for this under explored topic, consisting of an initial exploratory stage looking at experiences of using evidence and attitudes, perceptions and preferences. Followed by a proposition and early testing stage, looking at proposals that emerge from the exploratory stage findings.

Advise on next steps if you wish to tender:

Respond to the EOI using the EOI Form in the attachment list below. In the 'EOI text' section you should include a summary of your suggested research approach that takes into account the criteria outlined in the 'Assessment criteria' section of the Expression of Interest attachment. The Expression of Interest attachment can be found in the attachment list below under Other Information.

Additional information: Deadline for Expressions of Interest: Friday 11th October 2019 4pm (1600 BST)

Jonathon Blackburn is the alternative contact at the Department for Education for this project email: Jonathon.BLACKBURN@education.gov.uk

Additional text for clarification:

For the pre-qualification question based on pass/fail assessment criteria, suppliers should confirm whether they are able to meet the project milestones and deadlines as set out in the Expression of Interest. Further details about the proposed methodology, project milestones and timetable should be addressed via answers to the other assessment criteria.