A project progress update from the Bennett Institute

Since launching our collaborative project in mid-2024, the Bennett Institute (BI) has made strong and steady progress in partnership with the National Institute of Teaching (NIOT). This update highlights key milestones and ongoing developments across the project.

Project kick-off

We began with an in-person kick-off meeting at the University of Oxford. This was an important opportunity to connect in person, establish working relationships, and clarify responsibilities across the team. The session also included exercises to scope the project and share our aspirations and concerns, ensuring alignment from the outset. Importantly, we deepened our understanding of NIOT's infrastructure and data environment.

Ongoing collaboration

Following the kick-off, we established regular monthly meetings between NIOT and BI. These meetings have been key to maintaining momentum, sharing updates, and coordinating activities across the teams.

User research and engagement

To ensure our work is driven by user needs, we carried out a series of in-depth interviews with three key groups:

• NIOT staff, who provided context on the project's goals and a high-level view of data collection and flow.
• Data leads from Multi Academy Trusts (MATs), who are responsible for collecting, structuring, and sharing data with researchers.
• Researchers, the end users of the OpenSAFELY Schools, who will be integrating TED into their current research workflows using the OpenSAFELY platform.

Visit to the Harris Institute

In November, we visited NIOT’s Harris Institute of Teaching and Leadership. This visit provided valuable insight into existing practices within the Harris MAT. We toured the adjacent Harris Girls' Academy Bromley school and engaged with teachers, pupils, and a headteacher to discuss what data is currently collected and what outputs could be useful in the education setting.

Engagement with researchers

We’ve also participated in monthly meetings with researchers, currently working on the Teaching Improvement through Data and Evaluation (TIDE) project. These sessions have helped us better understand their current methods and how these might evolve within an OpenSAFELY-based environment.

Technical prototyping

In parallel with our research efforts, we’ve been prototyping how OpenSAFELY’s established health data processes could translate to the education sector. This has included drafting wireframes and content for an equivalent of the OpenSAFELY Job Server tailored to pupil data and TIDE researchers.

Exploring ehrQL for schools

Our technical team is now actively investigating how OpenSAFELY’s query language, ehrQL, might be used to query education data, paving the way for secure and reproducible analysis.

Planning for secure infrastructure

A core component of this work is planning the technical infrastructure to support OpenSAFELY in the education context. This includes the development of a secure compute zone designed to:

• Execute ehrQL queries whilst maintaining our extremely high standards for data privacy
• Host Airlock, the OpenSAFELY web application for output checking and approvals
• Allow for security review, scientific review, and code re-use

We’re excited by the progress so far and look forward to continuing this important work with NIOT. Together, we aim to enable high-quality, secure research that informs and improves teacher education in the UK.