Our Story

HPL was founded by leading academic Professor Deborah Eyre following a meta-analysis of the global research into how the most successful learners think and learn.

This ground breaking research challenges outdated norms where only a limited number of students are expected to perform highly and instead assets that we know how to create high performance and can make it the standard for a school.

This unique HPL approach is transforming schools worldwide, empowering students to surpass expectations and thrive in an ever-changing world.

Discover how our journey began, the milestones we've achieved, and the growing global movement that is shaping the future of education.

Explore our pathways

2010 - 2015

Our journey began in 2010 with the publication of a think tank paper, Room at the Top (Policy Exchange), in which Professor Deborah Eyre, introduced the ideas behind high performance learning and outlined the model. Drawing neuroscience and psychology, she argued that intelligence is not fixed but highly adaptable—everyone has the potential for high performance. This bold assertion was laid the foundation for High Performance Learning (HPL), a framework designed to cultivate excellence in every learner.

Between 2010 and 2015, Deborah tested whether this ideas had merit using 30 international schools. The transformative results—uplifts in student performance and confidence—provided proof of concept and gave rise to a global movement.

2016 - 2022

At the heart of HPL is the conviction that every child, regardless of background, deserves the opportunity to excel. The company High Performance Learning Services Ltd was created in 2016 by Professor Eyre to help schools to adopt HPL easily and use it to provide a long teaching strategy for continuous teaching and learning improvements.

Our philosophy is captured in the publications High Performance Learning: How to Become a World Class School (2016) and Great Minds and How To Grow Them (2017). It is based on building towards high performance with a ‘not yet’ rather than ‘can’t’ approach that empowers students to thrive rather than categorising them by perceived limitations.

By 2018, we had launched schemes to enable very high performing schools to break new ground and for ambitious schools with a strong desire to elevate their educational impact to make rapid progress. Schools across different sectors and phases quickly saw significant improvements, affirming the power of our approach. By 2018, the first schools achieved formal accreditation as HPL World Class schools and joined our Fellowship and Global Community of Accredited HPL Schools (FGC).

By developing HPL Training Schools, Teacher Certification schemes and Research Schools we are constantly evolving to broaden HPL’s reach and impact.

By 2022, HPL had touched over 80,000 students in 14 countries. As our community grows, our ambition only strengthens: to create a world where high performance is the standard, not the exception. A wide variety of supporters are continuing to build on Deborah's initial research, refining our understanding of how each element can be optimised. We have found that working in the HPL way, students are more confident and happier and teachers experience better job satisfaction.  This positive and optimistic approach is  refreshing in a world where student and staff wellbeing are often a challenge for schools. 

2024

Today, the HPL movement is growing rapidly. Over 100,000 students in 24 countries are benefiting from being in an HPL school and gaining outstanding results. Parents are actively choosing an HPL schools for their child and rejecting schools where students are segmented and denied the opportunities that would enable them to excel. We invite schools, educators, and communities worldwide to join us in redefining what’s possible for every child. Together, we can build a future where excellence is within everyone’s reach.

Become a World Class School

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Start your journey if:

  • You believe that #EveryoneCan
  • We can systematically teach students how to be ‘intelligent’ and succeed in school and life
  • You can develop the cognitive competencies associated with cognitive success and make them the DNA of our teaching
  • You do not follow a one-size fits all approach