Research

Research

Off2Class white paper

Oriel Square worked with Off2Class to produce a report that celebrated the successes of two ELT initiatives through research-based evidence, and highlighted where there was an opportunity to go further. Targeted at policy-makers, investors and the media, the report communicates the effectiveness of the English language learning programmes globally, including case studies from the US and from the Middle East.  

Off2Class is an EdTech platform which aims to provide high-quality ESL (English as a second language) digital content. The company partnered with the Ismaili Community on a successful pilot to deliver English lessons to learners in conflict zones and worked with Tulsa Public Schools in the US to deliver lesson content to refugee students. 

We put together the report content plan using interviews conducted by the client, and preliminary quantitative results from the programme in the three conflict zones. Our team then built on this earlier research by interviewing key stakeholders and analysing the full set of results from the programme coordinators to author the report. 

It was important that the human stories of the programmes shone through and that the report would generate interest and enthusiasm among policy-makers and investors. We worked with Off2Class, their partners, and key stakeholders for approval and feedback and our in-house design team created a final report that worked with the client’s existing branding. We also created an infographic and blog post to accompany the main report, which enabled Off2Class to present its findings to a wider audience. 

It was great to work with the Off2Class team who are passionate about learning and making a difference through English. We’re proud to have had our work on this project featured in the BESA and Educate Ventures report on the use of effective evidence in EdTech. 

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Bloomsbury Lit in Colour research and report

As part of their commitment to the Lit in Colour initiative, Bloomsbury commissioned a report to put the spotlight on diversity in plays and drama and increase students’ access to plays by Global Majority writers. We worked with Bloomsbury to conduct research with key stakeholders from education, theatre and publishing to inform a set of recommendations, then took the report through the commissioning, writing, editorial and design stages.  

Working with the National Theatre and Open Drama UK, we conducted independent research with teachers, publishers, awarding bodies, theatre organisations, practitioners, authors and playwrights. The resulting research report drew on multiple sources: a quantitative survey, in-depth interviews, roundtable discussion and desk research. 

After conducting the research, we took the report through the commissioning, writing, editorial and design stages. Our in-house Design Manager created the cover design and report branding for use across Bloomsbury’s Lit in Colour campaign and the report’s launch.

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Oxford University Press Oxford Language Report

We worked with Oxford University Press (OUP) to produce the first Oxford Language Report which examined the causes and impact of the “word gap” on young pupils, and sought to understand how to support schools to narrow and ultimately close the word gap. The teams at OUP and Oriel Square were delighted with the result: widespread coverage in the media of this important issue, and engagement from education policy-makers and influencers keen to help.

Applying Oriel Square’s expertise in educational publishing, we guided the project from its development stages through to completion. We facilitated OUP’s project discussions by chairing meetings, allowing the team to develop the report’s narrative and concluding position with efficiency. We then oversaw the publishing process, taking it through editorial and design and delivering in time for OUP’s award-winning publicity campaign.

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2Simple thought leadership report

We worked with 2Simple to produce A guiding hand: the journey to confidence, competence and an engaging curriculum, looking at the last decade of computing teaching and the ways that Purple Mash and their computing curriculum improve computing teaching and learning. The report launched at BETT 2022 and was picked up by DfE officials at the show.

Applying Oriel Square’s expertise in research and educational publishing, we developed the report structure and content, working alongside stakeholders and contributors within the 2Simple team. We conducted interviews with Purple Mash users to uncover and demonstrate best practices, and then oversaw the report publishing process, taking it through editorial and design.

FFT’s The Apex Project report

Oriel Square produced a research report for FFT looking at the elimination of avoidable early literacy failure. FFT wanted support from Oriel Square to launch their findings on early literacy failure and promote The Apex Project as a possible solution. 

Improving early literacy is key to transforming education outcomes. This project examined the effects of early literacy failure (where students are significantly behind where they are expected to be by the end of KS1) on attainment outcomes for students across England.  Intended for ministers, special advisors and key stakeholders, the aim of the report was  to raise the profile of early literacy failure as an issue and The Apex Project as an effective solution. The report outlines the aims of The Apex Project, its key findings so far, and its plans for the future. 

We ran a workshop with key internal stakeholders at FFT to fully understand their purpose and ambitions, and grow ideas about the campaign. From this, we created a guiding policy and set of recommendations for the campaign, which included the launch of a report. For this, we: 

– worked collaboratively with the FFT team to develop their manuscript and highlight how the report’s findings are supported by the government’s own research and other case studies;

– created a newly branded design for the report, which has since been used in other related FFT reports;

– took the finalised manuscript though editorial stages and typesetting.

We’re proud that our work on this project has supported FFT to improve early literacy outcomes. 

“FFT has worked with Oriel Square on several projects to support the foundation’s work. We’ve been impressed by the range of services they offer and the consistently high-quality output. … They helped our team to deliver compelling thought leadership content to raise FFT’s profile and credibility through a research report looking at early literacy failure as part of The Apex Project.” — Paul Charman, Managing Director, FFT

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