The Innovation Unit
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The Innovation Unit is a not-for-profit organisation that was set up in 2002 in England after the Education Act 2002, and serves as a catalyst for innovation and improvement in education. It draws on a wide range of expertise from both the public and private sectors. The Innovation team has worked on several large-scale programmes alongside other innovative small-scale projects, covering every aspect of school life that have the potential to raise standards. Most of these projects were generated by schools, but others were commissioned and shaped by the Unit itself (eg on early literacy, KS2/3 ICT transition, student councils, Special Educational Needs and Disability etc), and some involved brokering new partnerships.
As part of its general work, the Unit also advises The Power to Innovate (PTI), a piece of legislation which enables schools to be freed up from regulation if the Secretary of State for Education and Skills considers that the innovation could raise standards. The PTI legislation has already been used in relation to projects on healthy eating, use of time in schools, and to prepare and enter pupils for the International General Certificate of Secondary Education in English (IGCSE).
Having looked generally at innovation in schools during its first phase, the Unit is now investigating 'disciplined innovation' by looking beyond what most people in schools would generally call 'best' practice in order to generate what might be the successful 'next practice' in education.
This work draws on the "futures thinking projects that the Unit has undertaken". Currently four areas are being covered. The first Next Practice project on System Leadership is being undertaken with the National College for School Leadership. The second project is Resourcing for Personalisation which is being done with SSAT. The third project, with the Training Development Agency for Schools, is considering how to use the whole workforce to enhance learning, and a fourth project will consider parental engagement in teaching and learning.
The Unit is funded by the UK government’s Department for Education and Skills which is responsible for education in England, and is a not-for-profit company, limited by guarantee.
