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Leading the way in Education since 1870
QUB Research School
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The QUB Research School Initiative
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A Pioneering Model of Evidence-Informed School Improvement
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St Dominic’s Grammar School for Girls is proud to be pioneering the QUB Research School Initiative, an ambitious and sector-leading partnership developed in collaboration with Queen’s University Belfast. Now in Phase Two of its pilot, this initiative represents a significant step forward in embedding research-informed practice as a core driver of teaching quality, professional learning, and whole-school improvement.
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Launched as the first Queen’s Research School of its kind, the initiative was designed not as a short-term intervention, but as a sustained, scalable model capable of transforming how schools engage with research across Northern Ireland and beyond.
Vision and Strategic Purpose
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The QUB Research School Initiative is underpinned by a clear and ambitious vision: to ensure that educational research meaningfully shapes professional practice, leadership decision-making, and pupil outcomes. It directly addresses key inspection expectations by prioritising contemporary pedagogy, staff professional learning, and critical engagement with evidence.
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The initiative aims to:
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Establish a strong, sustainable culture of research engagement and inquiry
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Embed evidence-informed school self-evaluation and development
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Ensure that research shapes the content, design, and focus of professional learning
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Support staff to engage critically with, and in, research
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Strengthen collaboration within the school and with higher-education partners
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Ensure research engagement is embedded structurally, rather than reliant on individual enthusiasm
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This work responds directly to staff-identified barriers to research engagement—particularly time, access, confidence, and relevance—by providing expert guidance, structured pathways, and protected opportunities to engage with high-quality research
What the Initiative Involves
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The QUB Research School Initiative is a multi-layered, whole-school model that operates across leadership, staff, and students:
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1. Designation as a Queen’s Research School
St Dominic’s is formally designated a Queen’s Research School during the pilot phase, with the intention that—following re-audit—the designation will extend to a three-year cycle. This includes:
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Access to bespoke training and research resources from QUB
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Annual research priorities aligned directly with the School Development Plan
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Use of Research School branding across communications
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Ongoing evaluation and re-audit to ensure impact and sustainability
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2. Research-Informed Professional Learning
Each pilot year focuses on strategic SDP priorities, supported by expert-led sessions delivered by QUB academics. In Phase One and Two, this has included:
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Adaptive teaching and meeting diverse learner needs
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School-wide positive behaviour support
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Translating research evidence into classroom practice
Professional learning is deliberately contextualised, evidence-rich, and impact-focused, ensuring staff are not passive recipients of research, but active users of it.
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3. Staff Research Sabbaticals
A flagship element of the initiative is the QUB Research Sabbatical, enabling teachers to:
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Undertake a structured research placement at QUB
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Work with an academic mentor
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Design, implement, and evaluate an evidence-based intervention
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Present findings to school leaders, governors, and university partners
This model bridges the gap between theory and practice and has already demonstrated clear impact on teaching quality and school improvement
4. Student Research Pathways
The initiative extends beyond staff, offering Year 13 students opportunities to:
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Undertake small-scale research projects supported by QUB
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Develop independent inquiry, data analysis, and academic writing skills
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Present findings and receive formal certification
This positions students not simply as learners, but as researchers contributing to school improvement.
Through this work, St Dominic’s is not only enhancing its own practice but shaping the future of research-informed education across Northern Ireland, confirming its role as a leader in innovation, professional learning, and evidence-based school improvement.
Research Mark Plus Accreditation
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St Dominic’s Grammar School for Girls has become the first school in NI to be awarded the prestigious Research Mark Plus Kitemark by the Chartered College of Teaching.
This accreditation, following external inspection, recognises our whole-school commitment to embedding evidence-informed practice in all aspects of teaching, learning, and professional development.
The outcome report commended the “powerful impact” of this approach on both staff and students, and affirmed our role as a centre of excellence in research-led education.
This award is a clear reflection of the high-quality learning and teaching at St Dominic’s, where research and evidence are not add-ons, but ingrained in everyday practice — shaping planning, pedagogy, and continuous improvement.
We welcome the assessors’ challenge to extend our outreach and create opportunities for staff to share best practice with partner schools and organisations. Over the next two years, we will focus on making this a reality.
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Principal Mrs Orla O’Neill commented:
“This is a wonderful achievement for our school. I commend the dedication of our staff who have led this initiative with vision, professionalism, and a deep commitment to providing excellence in learning and teaching to ensure all of our students are able to achieve their very best.”
Making Best Practice Common Practice​
At St Dominic’s, we are committed to embedding research-informed practice across the school. A core priority in our three-year School Development Plan is to establish St Dominic’s as a centre of excellence for research-informed learning and teaching.
In recent years, we have made a deliberate shift to ensure that all whole-staff professional learning is grounded in robust educational research. We continue to monitor, evaluate and review the impact of these approaches so that evidence meaningfully informs classroom practice and improves outcomes for our students.
On Monday 3 November 2025, we are delighted to host a research-informed conference, Making Best Practice Common Practice: Adaptive Teaching and Metacogntion. ​
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The programme for this event is available below.
QUB Aspire Research Academy
A Queen’s Research School Initiative
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The QUB Aspire Research Academy is a pioneering and innovative partnership developed collaboratively between St Dominic’s Grammar School for Girls and Queen’s University Belfast, as part of Queen’s Research School Initiative.
This unique programme provides Year 13 students with an exceptional opportunity to engage in authentic academic research, developing the skills, confidence, and intellectual curiosity required for success at university and beyond. Working closely with academic mentors from Queen’s University, students experience what it truly means to think, work, and communicate as researchers.
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Aims and Key Focus
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The Aspire Research Academy is designed to:
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Develop independent research skills, including research design, data collection, analysis, and evaluation
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Promote critical thinking, academic rigour, and intellectual independence
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Offer students a meaningful insight into university-level study and research culture
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Enable students to contribute research that informs school improvement and wider educational conversations
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Support progression to higher education and research-informed career pathways
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Students work collaboratively in small research teams and are supported throughout the process by school staff and academics from Queen’s University Belfast. The programme culminates in the presentation of research findings to an academic and school-based panel, with all participants receiving formal certification from Queen’s University Belfast
Student Research Excellence
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In the previous academic year, students produced exceptional research projects, demonstrating impressive levels of academic maturity, methodological awareness, and critical engagement. Research topics reflected contemporary educational, social, and wellbeing issues, such as:
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1. The Impact of Social Media on Mental Health and Well-being of Young People
surveys or focus groups.
2. The Role of Homework in Academic Achievement
3. The Extent to Which the NI Curriculum Prepares Young People for Life After School
4. The Benefits of Extracurricular Sport on Academic Achievement and Health and Well-being
The quality of student work clearly highlights the Academy’s role in nurturing high-level scholarship and reflective inquiry at post-16 level
Applications Now Open – 2026 Entry
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Applications are now open for the 2026 QUB Aspire Research Academy cohort. The programme is open to motivated Year 13 students who demonstrate a strong interest in research, inquiry, and contributing meaningfully to school life.
This flagship initiative reflects St Dominic’s commitment to academic excellence, innovation, and partnerships that extend learning beyond the classroom, empowering students to see themselves as researchers, thinkers, and future leaders.
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QUB Research Sabbatical
Advancing Evidence-Informed Practice and School Improvement
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As part of our pioneering partnership with Queen’s University Belfast, St Dominic’s Grammar School for Girls is proud to offer a QUB Research Sabbatical for staff through the Queen’s Research School Initiative.
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This innovative professional learning opportunity enables teachers to undertake a structured research sabbatical in collaboration with Queen’s University Belfast, strengthening the school’s culture of inquiry while ensuring that high-quality educational research directly informs classroom practice, pastoral provision, and whole-school development.
Purpose and Vision
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The QUB Research Sabbatical is designed to:
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Embed a strong and sustainable culture of research engagement across the school
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Support evidence-informed decision-making aligned with the School Development Plan (SDP)
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Enable staff to engage critically with educational research and theory
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Strengthen professional learning by linking research directly to practice and impact
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Deepen collaboration between St Dominic’s and academic researchers at Queen’s University Belfast
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Through this initiative, research is positioned not as an abstract or external exercise, but as a practical, transformative tool for school improvement.
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The Research Sabbatical Experience
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The sabbatical offers one teacher, or a team of two teachers, the opportunity to undertake a four-week research placement, supported by academic mentors from Queen’s University Belfast.
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Key features include:
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Close collaboration with a mentor from QUB’s School of Social Sciences, Education and Social Work (SSESW)
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Structured engagement with educational research, theory, and methodology
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Design and implementation of an evidence-based intervention linked directly to an SDP priority
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Collection and evaluation of impact data within the school context
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Formal presentation of findings to school staff, QUB academics, and the Board of Governors
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This model ensures that research leads to tangible improvements in teaching quality, leadership practice, and pupil outcomes.
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Research Impact: A Strong First Year
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During the 2025–2026 academic year, the inaugural QUB Research Sabbatical was undertaken by Ms Shauna McLaughlin, whose work powerfully demonstrated the value of this initiative. Ms McLaughlin conducted an outstanding action research–informed project focused on the use of dialogic teaching as a strategy for raising standards in English.
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The research explored how purposeful classroom dialogue could enhance pupil engagement, deepen learning, and improve attainment. The project was highly successful, with clear evidence of improved outcomes. Crucially, the findings were shared widely with staff, informing professional learning, supporting the achievement of School Development Plan targets, and contributing to improved practice across the school.
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This exceptional first year confirmed the impact, relevance, and long-term value of the QUB Research Sabbatical as a driver of evidence-informed practice and sustained school improvement.
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Professional Growth and Recognition
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Participation in the QUB Research Sabbatical supports:
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Enhanced research literacy and professional confidence
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Deeper engagement with academic research
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Meaningful contributions to departmental and whole-school development
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Sustained professional partnerships with Queen’s University Belfast
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In addition, staff may be eligible for Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL), with the potential for postgraduate credit awarded by Queen’s University Belfast, subject to assessment.
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Applications Open – 2026
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Applications are now open for the 2026 QUB Research Sabbatical. The programme is open to teaching staff who demonstrate a commitment to research-informed practice and whose proposed focus aligns clearly with the School Development Plan.
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This initiative reflects St Dominic’s commitment to professional excellence, reflective practice, and research-led improvement, ensuring that both staff development and student outcomes continue to be strengthened through meaningful engagement with high-quality educational research.
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