Using Evidence to Narrow the Gaps

What is the Education Endowment Foundation?

• In 2011 the Education Endowment Foundation was set up by Sutton Trust as lead charity in partnership with the Impetus Trust. The EEF is funded by a Department for Education grant of £125m and will spend over £200m over its fifteen year lifespan.

• •The EEF is an independent charity dedicated to breaking the link between family income and educational achievement.

The EEF Strategy

• We aim to raise the attainment of children facing disadvantage by:

•Building the evidence for what works in schools by identifying and rigorously evaluating evidence-based approaches to teaching and learning

•Sharing the evidence with schools by providing independent and accessible information through the Teaching and Learning Toolkit

•Promoting the use of evidence-based practice through our projects, events and resources such as the DIY Evaluation Guide for schools

The EEF-Sutton Trust Teaching and Learning Toolkit

• The Toolkit provides accessible, teacher-friendly summaries of educational research

• Practice focused: giving schools the information they need to make informed decisions and narrow the gap

• Based on meta-analyses provided by Durham University

The Toolkit is a starting point for making decisions

Approach Potential Gain

Cost Evidence Estimate

Summary

After school programmes

+2 months

£££££ ***** Low impact for high cost, based on limited evidence

Behaviour interventions

+4 months

£££££ ***** Moderate impact for very high cost, based on extensive evidence

Early years intervention

+6 months

£££££ ***** High impact for very high costs, based on extensive evidence

Teaching Assistants

•More research must be done to determine the best ways for teachers and teaching assistants to work together, but likely best bets include: •Identifying activities where TAs can support learning, rather than simply managing tasks. •Providing support and training for teachers and TAs so that they understand how to work together effectively. •Ensuring that teachers do not reduce their support or input to the pupils supported by TAs and that TAs are focused on learning as opposed to just ensuring that pupils finish their work. ••Evaluating the impact of different strategies for deploying TAs.

Approach Potential Gain

Cost Applicability Evidence Estimate

Summary

Teaching Assistants

0 months ££££ Pri, Sec, Maths, Eng, Sci

** Very low/no impact for high cost

Small Group Tuition

Approach Potential Gain

Cost Evidence Estimate

Summary

Small Group Tuition

4 months £££ ** High impact for moderate cost

• Intensive tuition in small groups is very effective. • Pupils are usually grouped according to current level of

attainment or specific need. • It is important to assess pupils’ needs accurately and provide

work at a challenging level with effective feedback and support.

• The cost effectiveness of one-to-two and one-to-three indicates that greater use of these approaches would be productive in schools.

• Professional development and evaluation are likely to increase the effectiveness of small group tuition.

Existing evidence also informs grant-making

EEF Projects

EEF 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: Saturday schools, teaching assistants, impact of learning a musical instrument?

A Pupil Premium Scenario

Pupil Premium Received No. of children with FSM

£224 249

£114,000 126

£81,000 90

£6,300 7

Three questions to consider:1.What do you spend the money on?2.How do you decide what to spend the money on?3.What piece of the jigsaw is missing from this scenario?

Applying evidence in practice

‘DIY Evaluation’

• EEF have published a DIY Evaluation Guide with Durham University, which introduces the principles of evaluation.

www.educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk