Longer School Day Research Project

Expressions of interest are sought for a research project exploring the potential to increase out-of-normal-timetable activity in secondary schools, to extend the school day. On Wednesday 16 March the Chancellor presented his 2016 Budget to Parliament, setting out the government’s plan for 'a Budget that puts the next generation first'.

A fundamental part of the Budget was the introduction of a soft drinks industry levy will which provide funding for a number of policies. The levy will provide funding for up to £285 million a year to give up to 25% of secondary schools increased opportunity to extend their school day to offer a wider range of activities for pupils.

The Longer School Day will be implemented from September 2017. Findings from this research project will provide information about where the investment is best targeted and what interventions will be most effective, inform how we design support for schools, and support the development of new models and case studies that can be communicated to schools thinking of implementing a longer school day.

Bids should include a clear plan of proposed sampling, recruitment, and research methodology, provide evidence of experience in the research area, include indicative costs, and state clearly how the above aims will be achieved. Applications will be assessed and prioritised according to the extent to which they meet the assessment criteria described in the Expression of Interest document.