Introduction

1. What is working to close the gap in achievement?James Richardson and Jonathan Sharpleswww.educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk

2. Introduction • The EEF is an independent charity dedicated to breaking the link between family income and educational achievement. • In 2011 the Education Endowment Foundation was set up by Sutton Trust as lead charity in partnership with the ImpetusTrust.The EEF is funded by a Department for Education grant of £125m and will spend over £200m over its fifteen year lifespan. • In 2013, the EEF was named with The Sutton Trust as the government-designated ‘What Works’ centre for improving education outcomes for school-aged children.

3. The imperative: Key Stage 4 top performers There are 428 secondary schools in which the average GCSE point score of FSM pupils exceeds the national average for all pupils (276.7 points). These top performing schools come from across the spectrum of disadvantage (ranging from 1% FSM school intake to 61%). FSM pupils in schools with a low and high proportions of FSM students score higher than schools in between.

4. The EEF approach

5. “We must give educators and politicians the information they need to make wise decisions for children” Estelle Morris Stand on the shoulders of previous progress i.e. healthcare, engineering • Research is seen as something done to, not with, or for, or by the profession – culture change

6. The EEF by numbers 34topics in the Toolkit 3,000 schools participating in projects 600,000pupils involved in EEF projects 14 members of EEF team 6,000heads presented to since launch £220mestimated spend over lifetime of the EEF 16independent evaluation teams 83 evaluations funded to date 10 reports published

7. Applying evidence in practice Step 1: Decide what you want to achieve Identify school priorities using internal data and professional judgement. Step 2: Identifying possible solutions Step 5: Securing and spreading change Step 3: Giving the idea the best chance of success Step 4: Did it work? External evidence summarised in the Toolkit can be used to inform choices. Evaluate the impact of your decisions and identify potential improvements for the future. Mobilise the knowledge and use the findings to inform the work of the school to grow or stop the intervention. Applying the ingredients of effective implementation.

8. Applying evidence in practice Step 1: Decidewhat you want to achieve Generate a question usingdata, professional judgement and values. • How can we engage and support struggling readers in Year 7?

9. Applying evidence in practice Step 2: Identify possible solutions Ensure that you start from the best position by seeking internal and external knowledge. What has been shown to be effective in raising outcomes for struggling readers?

10. A Pupil Premium Scenario – Struggling Readers Head of English One to one tuition SENCO Employ more Teaching Assistants Parents Class size reduction What do you decide to spend the money on? How do you make the most of that investment?

11. Teaching and Learning Toolkit The Toolkit is an accessible, teacher-friendly summary of educational research. ‘Which?’ for education • Practice focused: tries to give schools the information they need to make informed decisions and narrow the gap. • Based on meta-analyses conducted by Durham University.

13. Teaching and Learning Toolkit The Toolkit is an accessible, teacher-friendly summary of educational research. ‘Which?’ for education • Practice focused: tries to give schools the information they need to make informed decisions and narrow the gap. • Based on meta-analyses conducted by Durham University.

14. The Toolkit is a starting point for making decisions

15. Overview of value for money 10 Feedback Meta-cognitive Independent learning Pre-school Peer tutoring 1-1 tutoring Homework Effect Size (months gain) Outdoor learning Summer schools ICT Phonics After school Smaller classes Parental involvement Individualised learning Sports Learning styles Teaching assistants Arts Performance pay 0 Ability grouping £0 £1000 Cost per pupil

16. Using the Toolkit Use the evidence as a starting point for discussion. Dig deeper into what the evidence actually says Understand the ‘active ingredients’ of implementation

17. Example: Teaching Assistants

18. Strategies for Struggling Readers Weighted Mean Effect Size One-to-one tutoring

19. Better magazine and Best Evidence in Brief Three/year. Free for first year – www.betterevidence.org Free fortnightly research digest – iee@york.ac.uk

20. Applying evidence in practice Step 3: Give the idea the best chance of success Implementation matters: have youthought about what the approachmeansforteaching and learning? • What are the ‘active ingredients’ for making best use of teaching assistants for struggling readers? How much training doTA’s need? Is there disruption to other learning? ? How will you organise the tuition during classtime?

21. EEF Projects We are working to fund, develop and evaluate projects that: • Build on existing evidence. • Will generate significant new understanding of ‘what works’. • Can be replicated cost effectively if proven to work. Examples: One-to-one support with teaching assistants, lesson observation, using mobile devices for feedback,

22. Switch on Reading • One to one literacy intervention with children in Year 7 who are struggling with literacy (not achieving level 4 at KS2) • Based on Reading Recovery. Delivered by teaching assistants, 20mins/day over 10 weeks. • Previous research shows a positive effect (inc. Reading Recovery). • RCT in 19 schools with 300 pupils • Attainment measured using standardised literacy measures • Independent evaluation by Durham University • Observations and interviews to inform how and why the approach might be working http://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/projects/category/primary

23. Switch On Reading

24. Switch On Reading - Conclusions

25. What have we learned? Teaching assistants, given the right support and training, can make a significant contribution to pupil attainment Schools should take care to understand how specific programmes are having an impact in their school. • Implementation matters: brief, well-structured 1-2-1 sessions over a sustained period, with appropriate support and training

26. Not all positive findings though….

27. IEE’s Evidence for Impact database – www.evidence4impact.org.uk

28. Applying evidence in practice Step 4: Put energy into evaluation Did the approachwork, what made it work, and how can it be improved next time? Can we demonstrate that our readers are making progress? Is it worth the effort?

29. Use DIY guide to evaluate innovations

30. Stages of the guide

31. Applying evidence in practice Step 5: Making innovation stick Moving from what we know to what we do. Have we captured and embedded effective small group tuition in our school? Could it make an impact in other areas?

32. Applying evidence in practice Step 1: Decidewhat do you want to achieve Identify school priorities using internal data and professional judgement. Step 2: Identifying possible solutions Step 5: Securing and spreading change Step 3: Giving the idea the best chance of success Step 4: Did it work? External evidence summarised in the Toolkit can be used to inform choices. Evaluate the impact of your decisions and identify potential improvements for the future. Mobilise the knowledge and use the findings to inform the work of the school to grow or stop the intervention. Applying the ingredients of effective implementation.

33. Thank you! Taking part in EEF research: james.richardson@eefoundation.org.uk jonathan.sharples@eefoundation.org.uk