Education Endowment Foundation:Concept Cat – trial

Concept Cat – trial

Better Communication CIC
Implementation costThe cost estimates in the Toolkits are based on the average cost of delivering the intervention.
Evidence strengthThis rating provides an overall estimate of the robustness of the evidence, to help support professional decision-making in schools.
Impact (months)The impact measure shows the number of additional months of progress made, on average, by children and young people who received the intervention, compared to similar children and young people who did not.
+2
months
Project info

Independent Evaluator

RAND logo
RAND
University of York logo
University of York

Trial to test the impact of Concept Cat, a whole class teaching methodology for early verbal concepts (part of the widely used book ​‘Word Aware 2’).

Pupils: 1080 Schools: 90 Grant: £103,005
Key Stage: EY Type of Trial: Efficacy level evidence
Completed June 2026

Concept Cat is a programme designed to help three-to-four-year-old children develop early conceptual vocabulary – words like first, wide, and empty. These words are important for understanding concepts linked to the maths and science curricula, and the programme aims to support better outcomes by Key Stage 1. The programme runs across a school year and includes four main parts:

  • A whole-class introduction to new words
  • Play-based learning where the new words are used in context
  • Simple parent-child activities to reinforce learning at home
  • A whole-class review to revisit and consolidate learning

Children with below-average language skills – called ​‘focus children’ – receive extra support.

Concept Cat uses a mix of structured and explicit teaching of vocabulary with implicit teaching in play-based learning. Staff introduce each word by acting out a scripted story with a toy cat. They also make small changes to the classroom environment so that children have chances to encounter the new word more often. For example, if the word of the week was empty, staff might provide sand and water trays and use the word empty while children are playing.

Outcome/​Group
ImpactThe size of the difference between pupils in this trial and other pupils
SecurityHow confident are we in this result?
Conceptual vocabulary, all children
+2
Months' progress
(Effect size 0.18)
Conceptual vocabulary, EYPP-eligible children
+3
Months' progress
(Effect size 0.25)
N/A

EEF summary

Project type: Efficacy level evidenceKey Stage: Early YearsSubject: Communication and language

As part of the Department for Education’s Early Years Recovery Programme, the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) partnered with Stronger Practice Hubs across England to fund early years settings’ access to evidence-informed programmes and evaluate their impact on practice and children’s outcomes. This initiative was designed to support education recovery following the pandemic, while also building understanding of what constitutes effective professional development in the early years. The EEF worked with HEART, Bright Futures North West Early Years, and Liverpool City Region and Beyond Stronger Practice Hubs to fund settings’ access to Concept Cat and evaluate the programme through an efficacy trial.

Concept Cat was developed by the founders of Thinking Talking, Stephen Parsons and Anna Branagan, and its teaching methodology is outlined in their books, Word Aware 2 (Parsons & Branagan 2016) and Concept Cat (ibid. 2025). The approach is widely used by early years settings in England.

The evaluation found that children in Concept Cat settings made, on average, two months’ additional progress in understanding conceptual vocabulary, compared to children in control settings. Children who were eligible for the Early Years Pupil Premium (EYPP) made three months’ additional progress, although these findings are less secure due to the smaller sample size for this group.

Children in Concept Cat settings demonstrated, on average, two months’ additional progress in their early numeracy development, compared to children in other settings. They also showed one month’s additional progress on understanding complex sentences compared to children in control settings, suggesting the intervention also supports wider conceptual understanding.

The Concept Cat programme includes additional support for ​‘focus children’ with below-average language skills. However, the evaluation found that settings were not consistently delivering this additional element. Concept Cat does appear to have facilitated parents’ involvement in the setting and understanding of their children’s learning and development.

All surveyed early years practitioners indicated that they would continue to use Concept Cat following the trial, demonstrating the programme’s strong appeal. Practitioners also reported that children clearly enjoyed the programme, which encouraged its continued use at home.

EEF is considering the potential for further evaluation of this programme.

Were the schools in the trial similar to my school?

Project type: Efficacy level evidenceKey Stage: Early YearsSubject: Communication and language
  • The Concept Cat efficacy trial involved 1,040 children across 89 participating early years settings.
  • Settings were made up of school-based and PVI settings across Trafford, Everton and the West Midlands.
  • 18.7% of children were eligible for Early Years Pupil Premium.

Could I implement this in my school?

Delivered by: Early YearsParticipant group: Whole ClassIntervention length: 12 month(s)
  • To support the delivery of Concept Cat for the trial, settings received online training, printed programme resources, and a visit from a Concept Cat Coach approximately once every half term. Practitioners reported the value of the resources and the coaches for supporting implementation.
  • Outside of this EEF trial, the Concept Cat approach is fully outlined in a new book, which includes access to downloadable resources. However, the model of delivery that has demonstrated the impact seen in this trial, including training and coach support, is not yet currently commercially available. Details of the book, training and resources are available from the Thinking Talking website.

How much will it cost?

Cost per pupil: £31.00No. of teachers/TAs: N/AStaff training duration: 0.5 days

The average cost of the Concept Cat approach as delivered during this trial for one early years setting is estimated at £1,207 per year when averaged over three years, or £31 per pupil assuming 39 children per setting.

Downloads