Writing a report
The following guidelines will help you to make your report relevant for
visitors to the DCSF TIPD programme area of TeacherNet. Rather than
providing a description of the education services of the country visited,
or a diary of events, your report should cover the specific aspects of the
system studied. As your report will appear in the DCSF TIPD area, it is
essential to produce a concise, interesting and useful report with appropriate
back-up material.
The names of schools and private individuals seen during visits should not be
made available in the report, in order to protect their privacy.
When writing your report, follow the structure of the template laid out
below:
Title
The main title should indicate the region visited, the age phases/school types
covered, and the key educational purpose of the visit.
Summary
Include the region, school type and pupil age, the purpose of the
visit, and three or four key educational outcomes of the visit, if these are
not clear from the title. The summary should help the reader to decide whether
your case study is relevant to their interests.
Introduction
What were the aims and objectives of the visit? Why was the location
chosen? What were the expected outcomes? How were these to be identified and
recorded?
Report on the experience
What happened? Was the visit a success? Were the objectives achieved?
What surprises and innovations in educational terms were observed? Please
comment on system comparisons: similarities and differences between the area
visited and England.
Evaluation: Summary of the Key Educational Outcomes
The key educational outcomes should be described in terms of:
- The professional development of the teacher.
- The extent to which this will contribute to pupil achievement. How could the findings apply in schools within England? How will you apply these outcomes to your work with pupils in England.
Dissemination proposals
How will you tell others about what you have found? Methods of
dissemination may include staff meetings, articles for professional journals or
newspapers, or presentations to interested groups.
Proposals for developments and continuing links
If you intend carrying on links with the area you visited, describe
how this will happen and give details of the intended outcomes.
Appendix: General advice for others visiting
What pre-visit preparation is recommended? What languages are spoken? Who
funded the visit and why? What are the educational structures in the place
being visited? You may wish to include information about staying in the area.
How much money a week is needed? What food is available? What cultural
surprises were there? Please include links with websites and other resources
relevant to the visit.
The deadline for reports is six weeks after completion of the visit. When your report is ready for submission, send it to your provider. Click here for contact details.
