Putting evidence into action Raising attainment, narrowing the gap STEPHEN TALL #EducatEd2015, Oriel High School, Crawley 3rd July, 2015 E: @EducEndowFoundn Who we are The Education Endowment Foundation is an independent grant-making charity dedicated to breaking the link between family income and educational achievement. The EEF was set up in 2011 by The Sutton Trust, as lead charity in partnership with Impetus Trust (now part of ImpetusThe Private Equity Foundation)... with a 125m founding grant from the Department for Education The EEF and Sutton Trust are, together, the government-designated What Works centre for improving education outcomes for school-aged children. Bad news The attainment gap is big & grows throughout school There is a 19-month gap at the start of school between the most and least advantaged children. This gap only widens as children get older. Pupils who do not reach the minimum expected level in English and Mathematics aged 11 rarely catch up by the time they reach 16. And without at least five good GCSEs most will struggle to achieve their goals, either for further study or in the world of Better news The attainment gap is narrowing on new Source: Dr Becky Allen in Pupil Premium: Next Steps (EEF / Sutton Trust, 2015) On this Attainment 8 measure, the gap has been narrowing fairly consistently each year. This gap has been closing particularly rapidly for children achieving a Level 4B or better in Key Stage Two tests at age 11. Mixed news The attainment gap varies a lot between Above average proportion of disadvantaged pupils Above average performance of disadvantaged pupils Source: Funding for disadvantaged pupils (National Audit Office, 2015) Bright spots! Whats happening here? BIG news The attainment gap is in ALL types of school Source: Save the Children, Closing the attainment gap 2014 study of attainment gap (5A*-C GCSEs): 'Outstanding' schools - 25% gap (75% non-FSM, 50% FSM) 'Good' schools - 25% gap (64%, 39%) 'Satisfactory / Requires improvement' or 'Inadequate' - 25% gap Austerity reaches the school gate And the next 5 years? The Conservatives have pledged to protect cash school spending per pupil. BUT, inflation increases and rising cost of employing staff for schools means schools now facing c.12% real-terms cuts, 2014/ /20. (Source: Making the most of the Pupil Pupil Premium guaranteed for next 5 years. Still no ring-fence but there is accountability (and its likely to increase). Autonomy and the school-led Growth in number of academies (sponsored / converter) and free schools in past 5 years: 365 4, /11Nov 2014 Academies and free schools as a proportion of all mainstream state- funded schools: 2010/11Nov % 21.6% The CHALLENGE facing The schools funding climate will be tighter but the Pupil Premium will be protected. School autonomy means an increasing expectation schools should deliver for all students. So: how to do MORE with LESS ? The key: informed use of evidence 11 The dividing line between an autonomous school and an isolated one can be fine. We believe that the key to unlocking autonomys potential is evidence. If school leaders are able to use evidence to inform school improvement then autonomy can help achieve the goal of consistent excellence. Without evidence, the potential benefits of a school- led system may be lost. Sir Kevan Collins, The OPPORTUNITY available to schools Capture the maximum possible benefit from spending Resist fads and fakes! Focus our effort where it will make the most How an evidence-informed approach can help schools: What we do Involve schools in testing the most promising ideas to raise attainment and narrow the gap for pupils from low-income families. Support schools to make use of high-quality evidence within and beyond the classroom. Equip schools to drive forward grassroots innovations informed by evidence and rooted in their own What we do Involve schools in testing the most promising ideas to raise attainment and narrow the gap for pupils from low-income families. Support schools to make use of high-quality evidence within and beyond the classroom. Equip schools to drive forward grassroots innovations informed by evidence and rooted in their own What we do Involve schools in testing the most promising ideas to raise attainment and narrow the gap for pupils from low-income families. Support schools to make use of high-quality evidence within and beyond the classroom. Equip schools to drive forward grassroots innovations, informed by evidence and rooted in their own The EEF evidence cycle Teaching and Learning Toolkit EEF project evaluations Grant-funding Evaluation Report results Synthesise EEF / Sutton Trust Teaching and Learning Toolkit The Toolkit provides free, accessible, independent summaries of educational research. Includes 34 topics, each listed in terms of their average impact on attainment, strength of supporting evidence, and their cost. Based on meta-analyses provided by Durham University: 11,000+ research EEF / Sutton Trust Teaching and Learning The Toolkit in Babington Community College, Leicester entrance hall Toolkit What the Toolkit is (and what it 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 Example: Teaching Assistants -ve * When TAs substitute rather than supplement teaching from teachers; * When adequate training / support for TAs not provided. +ve * When TAs trained to deliver a clearly specified approach; * When teachers / TAs plan work together (eg, by making time for discussion before and after Example: Teaching The EEF evidence cycle Teaching and Learning Toolkit EEF project evaluations Grant-funding Evaluation Report results Synthesise EEF-funded 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 once shown to work. Examples: Saturday schools, teaching assistants, impact of learning a musical Grant-making: what we fund The EEF assesses proposed projects by assessing: 1.Existing evidence of promise (taking the Toolkit as a starting point); 2.Potential to be scaled up cost effectively (normally within envelope of Pupil Premium). We are looking for informed innovation: innovation that builds on what we already How can we use technology to enhance learning? 28 Project: ReflectED teaching children meta-cognition skills Where: 1, year-olds, 24 primary schools Cost: 105 per pupil over 2 Can a Singaporean approach to teaching Maths work here? 29 Project: Mathematics Mastery Where: 1, year-olds, 40 primary schools Cost: 330 per pupil over 4 What works in engaging young people facing exclusion from school? 30 Project: Engage in Education Where: year-olds, 40 secondary schools Cost: 1,500 per pupil over 2 Some other ideas were trialling 31 Does teaching children to play chess boost their attainment in Maths? Can peer observation by teachers, using a programme called Lesson Study, improve practice? Do pupils respond to financial or other rewards? Will parents engage more with their childrens education if theyre paid to take time off work to attend classes which equip them with the skills to support their children? Do Saturday schools actually improve attainment? Do volunteering programmes like the Duke of Edinburgh Award boost attainment? Can a school improvement programme modelled on London Challenge work outside London in narrowing the attainment gap? What impact, if any, does giving children a nutritional breakfast have? Does delaying school start times for adolescents (combined with a sleep education programme) boost Key Stage 4 The EEF evidence cycle Teaching and Learning Toolkit EEF project evaluations Grant-funding Evaluation Report results Synthesise 33 The EEF approach to evaluation Correlation does not imply Traditional approach to measuring intervention impact Year 9 Class 29 students Data indicates low rates of attainment Year 9 Class 29 students Data indicates 32% increased their levels 29 students receive an intervention to improve their attainment Conclusion? Oral feedback was responsible for the rise in Fair test approach to evaluating intervention impact Control v. Treatment (keep everything constant apart from the thing we are Every EEF evaluation All projects are robustly evaluated: Independent evaluation All projects evaluated by a member of our 26-strong panel of evaluation experts Quantitative measures Effect on attainment and costso we can compare and contrast between projects Qualitative and process evaluations also crucial To find out if/how it works in real world school conditions Focus on longitudinal impact All pupils will be tracked using the National Pupil The EEF evidence cycle Teaching and Learning Toolkit EEF project evaluations Grant-funding Evaluation Report results Synthesise 37 EEF evaluation reports so Chatterbooks An extracurricular reading initiative that aimed to increase a childs motivation to read. Weekly 1-hour sessions where pupils read and discussed an age-appropriate book. Delivered by trained graduates to pupils who had not achieved expected level at the end of primary school. Accelerated Reader A whole-group programme that aims to foster the habit of independent reading. Online system screens pupils according to their reading levels, and suggests books that match their reading age and interests. Pupils take computerised quizzes on the books they have read and earn points related to difficulty. GroupMonths progress All pupils+3 months FSM-eligible+5 months 39 GroupMonths progress All pupils-2 months FSM-eligible-4 months Finding out what works (and what Catch Up Numeracy Key conclusions Within this trial, one to one support by TAs led to a significant gain in numeracy skills. Catch Up makes similar significant gains, but there is little evidence that Catch Up Numeracy provided any additional gains in numeracy outcomes over and above those from one to one teaching itself. Schools can find it challenging to run two 15 minutes sessions per week, due to timetabling and other issues. Structured interventions, such as Catch Up Numeracy, should be planned into the timetable from the start of the new school year to ensure they are given priority and status. A one to one intervention for learners who are struggling with numeracy. It consists of two 15-minute sessions per week, delivered by teaching assistants (TAs). Catch Up Numeracy TA-delivered time equiv months +4 Using Self-Regulation to Improve Writing Using memorable experiences and an approach called Self-Regulated Strategy Development (SRSD) to help struggling writers in Years 6 and 7. Key conclusions The approach had a strong positive effect on the writing outcomes of low attaining pupils at the transition from primary to secondary school among a sample of pupils in State schools in the West Yorkshire area The approach had beneficial effects for both FSM and non-FSM pupils. These findings, in combination with existing evidence from the United States and elsewhere, suggest that the Self-Regulated Strategy Development approach has substantial promise as a literacy catch-up A larger effectiveness trial could be commissioned to test the approach on a larger scale and with other age groups. Teachers were trained in the SRSD approach by the North American developers, but adapted it in some ways for an English context. Calderdale SRSD +9 The EEF evidence cycle Teaching and Learning Toolkit EEF project evaluations Grant-funding Evaluation Report results Synthesise All evaluation reports are Positive, negative, neutral: all reports are available on the EEF website The EEF evidence cycle Teaching and Learning Toolkit EEF project evaluations Grant-funding Evaluation Report results Synthesise Keeping the Toolkit The Teaching and Learning Toolkit is a live resource, updated to reflect our current, best understanding of the evidence including EEF project results May 2011 July 2015 The EEF evidence cycle Teaching and Learning Toolkit EEF project evaluations Grant-funding Evaluation Report results Synthesise The EEF evidence cycle Teaching and Learning Toolkit EEF project evaluations Grant-funding Evaluation Report results Synthesise Putting evidence to use NEW! Published guidance sent to all NEW! EEF campaigns putting evidence into Campaign focused in Yorkshire; Working with 1,000+ schools through regional advocate partners to help them act on the evidence of how Teaching Assistants can better support disadvantaged pupils; Funding evidence- based, targeted interventions to boost the attainment of 14,000 pupils. NEW! Families of Schools databaseLaunched January 2015 Free, online tool so you can dig deep into your data Puts schools into groups of 50, based on factors including prior attainment, FSM / EAL % Encourages schools to collaborate with and learn from other schools similar to yours Primary version coming soon Using the Families of Schools database Using the Families of Schools database The Past and Future Trends graph shows the different performance of Pupil Premium and non-Pupil Premium pupils in the last three years and estimates the future attainment gap by projecting the average national gap onto the Pupil Premium pupils in each cohort. Final thought 53 Teachers might now be categorised in three groups: evidence-seekers, compliance chasers and the disengaged. The challenge is to cater to all of them while recognising that, like any tool, the Toolkit will be most useful when in the hands of professionals. Pupil Premium: Next Steps (EEF / Sutton Trust, Prof. Steve Higgins, Durham University Dr Lee Elliot Major, Sutton Trust How to get involved Apply for funding Our new general funding round opens this month. Visit:Volunteer to take part We are always looking for schools to volunteer to take part in EEF-funded projects. Visit:Do it yourself Our DIY Evaluation Guide, developed with Durham University, is a resource intended to help teachers and schools understand whether a particular intervention is effective within your own school context. Visit: