New Sunderland HQ for growing teacher training business

A North East teacher training business is marking its fourth year with a new HQ.

Founded in Durham before relocating to offices in Chester-le-Street, Evidence Based Education (EBE) has moved its 10-strong team to its own premises in Sunderland.

The firm now operates from a 4,000 sq ft base at the four-storey Grange Crescent building near the city centre, where it has additional space for new staff.

It plans to employ people with technical and software skills to help develop its digital platforms.

EBE was set up in 2015 by academic and former teacher Prof. Stuart Kime alongside multi-lingual business partner Jack Deverson, who is qualified in Chinese and German.

Today, the company has an annual turnover of £420k and works with a global customer base that includes a schools group in China and institutions in 40 other countries.

Since 2015 it has grown from a two-man operation to a team of 10 generating, in its most recent financial results, an annual turnover of £420k.

Explaining the inspiration for EBE, co-founder Jack said he and Stuart decided to launch the business after realising that teacher training was “simply not delivering the impact that we felt it could”.

He said: “Like any other professional development, we felt that training for teachers should not be something approached in a piecemeal way, but should be structured to give long-term value.

“The growth we have seen so far has confirmed to us that we’re offering something very different – we have been able to secure work quickly because customers recognise the value EBE can add.”

The company recently announced the appointment of Prof. Rob Coe, who is joining EBE from Durham University. He previously held a senior role in the university’s School of Education and led its Centre for Evaluation and Monitoring.

MAKE it Sunderland, the city council’s business support and inward investment campaign, is supporting EBE in its expansion.

Sunderland City Council Leader Cllr Graeme Miller commented: “This is an example of a truly innovative business, that can see the merits of locating in a city that is fast establishing itself as a hotbed for cutting-edge business.

“We are delighted to welcome Jack and the EBE team to the business community in Sunderland, and we look forward to supporting them as they continue to disrupt the market, and expand their already impressive customer base.”