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 ApproachPotential Gain CostEvidence 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. ApproachPotential Gain CostApplicabilityEvidence Estimate Summary Teaching Assistants 0 months££££Pri, Sec, Maths, Eng, Sci **Very low/no impact for high cost

Small Group Tuition ApproachPotential Gain CostEvidence 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 Synthesise existing evidence Make GrantsEvaluate Projects

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. Current projects: assessment for learning, parental engagement programme, one to one maths intervention

A Pupil Premium Scenario Pupil Premium ReceivedNo. of children with FSM £ £114, £81,00090 £6,3007 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 Step 1: Decide what you want to achieve Identify school priorities using internal data and professional judgement Step 2: Identifying possible solutions. External evidence summarised in the Toolkit can be used to inform choices Step 3: Giving the idea the best chance of success Applying the ingredients of effective implementation Step 4: Did it work? Evaluate the impact of your decisions and identify potential improvements for the future. Step 5: Securing and spreading change Mobilise the knowledge and use the findings to inform the work of the school to grow or stop the intervention.

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