In Scotland, we want our schools, and our education system to be research rich. Practitioner engagement in and with research and enquiry contributes to successful school and system development.

Education Scotland encourages educators to use and take part in research as part of their professional learning, building a strong evidence base to inform policy and share research findings with the wider community in Scotland.

Teacher Leadership Programme enquiries

The Teacher Leadership Programme is for participants to understand what teacher leadership means and looks like in practice. As a part of this process participants are supported to take an enquiring approach to developing an aspect of learning and teaching of their choosing as appropriate for the learners in their context. Participants on the Teacher Leadership Programme produce posters which explain their enquiry journey over the course of the programme. These posters come in all shapes and sizes and are a fantastic insight into enquiring practice in the classroom. 

View practitioner enquiry posters

Practitioners and professional enquiry

Enquiry is self-directed investigation in which the educator is actively engaged in the process of exploring an aspect of their practice in order to better understand and improve how it impacts on the learning of the child, young person or adult learner.

Enquiry based learning uses real life scenarios to investigate topics of relevance, and fosters the skills of experimental design, data collection, critical analysis and problem solving.    

Education Scotland leadership programmes and the national model of professional learning are underpinned by approaches to enquiry.

EBSCO – Online access to educational journals

The GTCS provides free access to a range of online education and leadership journals via EBSCO for all registered teachers in Scotland.

The EBSCO Education Source package and the Leadership & Management Learning Centre provides access to a collection of over 1,800 education journals, a selection of eBooks, and additional resources, all of which can be accessed using your GTCS account.

We’ve already identified a number of resources from the EBSCO Education Source within the learning activities. Access to the full range of publications and resources will help you to shape your own professional learning and development.

Excellence in Headship Stretch

Excellence in Headship Stretch (EiH Stretch) is a strand within the Excellence in Headship programme.

EiH Stretch is designed to stretch and challenge headteachers seeking opportunities to create positive change in the Scottish education system. The programme explores the key elements of collaborative systems and aims to provide further development opportunities for 50 experienced headteachers from 24 Local Authorities to support their capacity to contribute to system leadership in an empowered system.

Explore the Think Pieces generated through their collaborative enquiries

Enquiry Fellows

The Fellowship programme no longer operates, however the legacy and enquiry undertaken by Fellows continues to be recognised.

View research from the Fellowship Programme