A NEW “research school” to boost teaching across Bradford will be officially launched today.

The project will collect evidence from across the district on what has worked best to improve school standards, and then pass on that evidence to other schools.

Some of the first targets of the school will be improving primary school pupil’s reading skills and reducing the number of teachers who leave Bradford.

The research school will be based at Dixons Academies, and education bosses say it could “change lives in the district.”

It is the latest development in Bradford’s move towards becoming a “City of Research,” and it will involve the groundbreaking Born in Bradford project to look at issues that effect whole generations of Bradfordians and their education.

Earlier this year Bradford was picked as one of 12 “opportunity areas” that would share £72m in Government funding to boost social mobility, which has lead to this project.

The research school was set up in partnership with independent charity the Education Endowment Foundation.

Its three main targets for this academic year are improving literacy at Key Stage 2, the end of primary school, maximising memory to help pupils revise and make lessons more memorable, and finding effective approaches to support teacher recruitment and retention.

Michael Jameson, Bradford Council’s Strategic Director for Children’s Services said: “We are proud to be working with these key partners, helping to lead a response in Bradford that could change the lives of people in the district.”

The research school is being launched at an event at 4.30pm today at Dixons McMillan Academy. Speakers include Sir Nick Weller, the chief executive of Dixons, Michael Jameson and Sir Kevan Collins, the chief executive of the EEF.

Sir Nick said: “We look forward to working with a wide range of schools across the district to disseminate the best current research about teaching and learning, and to identify our own best practice in Bradford. The more we and our partners root what we do in clear evidence of what works and what has the most impact, the more we will improve the life chances of the young people in our city. The more we and our partners root what we do in clear evidence of what works and what has the most impact, the more we will improve the life chances of the young people in our city.”