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The impact of networks on pupils, practitioners, organisations and the communities they serve

What makes a good network? Are they worth the investment of time and money for schools? What role can they play in tackling social inclusion? How effective are they as a platform for collaborative professional development? Above all, where is the evidence that they make a difference to pupils' attainment?

This summary draws on the findings of a wide ranging literature review to examine the influence and impact of networks and explore the benefits they have for everyone in the wider school community.

Five key themes

The authors focus on five key themes:

• impact - where and how are networks effective?
• transfer of knowledge and skills as part of professional development
• goals and target groups - how networks tackle difficult issues which schools would find harder to deal with alone.
• partners - who is involved and why?
• network features - does it matter how long a network lasts or what size it is?

Using the summary

The summary is organised into sections. Each one features a description and discussion of a key finding, an example from the networks in the literature review as illustration, and a thinking space in which to consider some of the questions and challenges raised.

The report also identifies other trends that could usefully be explored further, such as the domination of networks by schools - rather than parents or communities - and the role ICT might play in organising networks.