Dorset Leadership Conference, 2013 Using evidence to inform your leadership approach and support school improvement James Richardson 5 th November

Introduction 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.

Achieving our mission: 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

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

Catch Up Numeracy One to one intervention with children in Years 2 to 6 who are struggling with numeracy Previous research showed an effect size of 0.3 Trial in 50 schools with 300 pupils and 100 teaching assistants randomised Effect on attainment measured using standardised maths tests Independent evaluation by NFER Observations and interviews to inform scale up cts/category/primary

The EEF approach Synthesise existing evidence Make grants Evaluate projects

The EEF-Sutton Trust Teaching and Learning Toolkit The Toolkit is an 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

A Pupil Premium Scenario What do you decide to spend the money on? How do you decide what the money should be spent on? Number on Roll%FSMPupil Premium Allocation 75010%£67,500 Parents Class size reduction Head of English One to one tuition SENCO Employ more Teaching Assistants

The Toolkit is a starting point for making decisions

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

Teaching Assistants Implementation Identifying activities where TAs can support learning, rather than simply managing tasks. Ensuring that TAs are focused on learning as opposed to just ensuring that pupils finish their work. ApproachPotential GainCostApplicability Evidence estimate Summary Teaching Assistants 0 months££££ Pri, Sec, Maths, Eng, Sci Very low/no impact for high cost

One to One Tuition Implementation Short periods (5-10 weeks) of intensive sessions (up to an hour 3 or 4 times a week) tend to have greater impact. Tuition should be explicitly linked to what happens in class. ApproachPotential GainCostApplicability Evidence estimate Summary One to One 5 months££££ Pri, Sec, Maths, Eng, Sci High impact for high cost

Reducing Class Size Implementation Smaller classes will not make a difference to learning unless the teacher or pupils do something differently in the smaller class. Opportunities for an increase in the quality or quantity of feedback accounts for learning gains. Small reductions (e.g. from 30 to 25 pupils) are unlikely to be cost- effective relative to other strategies. ApproachPotential GainCostApplicability Evidence estimate Summary Reducing class size 3 months£££££ Pri, Sec, Maths, Eng, Sci Moderate impact for a very high cost

Overview of value for money Cost per pupil Effect Size (months gain) £0£ £1000 Feedback Meta-cognitive Peer tutoring Pre-school 1-1 tutoring Homework ICT AfL Parental involvement Sports Summer schools After school Individualised learning Learning styles Arts Performance pay Teaching assistants Smaller classes Ability grouping Promising May be worth it Requires careful consideration

Applying evidence in practice External evidence summarised in the Toolkit can be used to inform choices. Step 2: Identify Potential Solutions Evaluate the impact of your decisions and identify potential improvements for the future. Step 4: Evaluation Mobilise the knowledge and use the findings to inform the work of the school to grow or stop the intervention. Step 5: Embedding Change Applying the ingredients of effective implementation. Step 3: Implementation Identify school priorities using internal data and professional judgement. Step 1: Identify School Priorities 15

Step 1: Identify School Priorities Generate a question using data, professional judgement and values. Does one-to-one oral feedback have an impact on writing outcomes in Year 9 English at Huntington school? Step 1: Decide what you want to achieve

Step 2: Identify Potential Solutions Ensure that you start from the best position by seeking internal and external knowledge. What evidence is there on the use of oral feedback in improving outcomes? Step 2: Identify potential solutions

Step 3: Implementation ? Is there disruption to other learning? How will you organise the feedback during classtime? How much training do teachers need? Implementation matters: have you thought about what the approach means for teaching and learning? What are the ‘active ingredients’ for effective implementation? Step 3: Give the idea the best chance of success

Step 4: Evaluation Did the approach work, what made it work, and how can it be improved next time? Can you isolate the variable you are interested in (in this case the nature of feedback) by keeping everything else as similar as you can? Step 4: Put energy into evaluation

Supporting “DIY evaluation” We’ve published a DIY Evaluation Guide with Durham University, which introduces the principles of evaluation.

Step 5: Embedding Change Moving from what we know to what we do. Have we captured and embedded oral feedback in English? Could it make an impact in other areas? Step 5: Making innovation stick

Applying evidence in practice External evidence summarised in the Toolkit can be used to inform choices. Step 2: Identify Potential Solutions Evaluate the impact of your decisions and identify potential improvements for the future. Step 4: Evaluation Mobilise the knowledge and use the findings to inform the work of the school to grow or stop the intervention. Step 5: Embedding Change Applying the ingredients of effective implementation. Step 3: Implementation Identify school priorities using internal data and professional judgement. Step 1: Identify School Priorities 22 Internal Data Research Evidence Evaluate

Closing reflection What are the challenges of using evidence to inform your approach to school improvement? Taking part in EEF research: £36m granted to projects 2,200 schools participating in projects 440,000 pupils involved in EEF projects