Over 500 early years settings – including PVIs, school-based nurseries, and childminders – took part in the evaluations, demonstrating the sector’s strong interest in developing evidence-informed practice.
The trials focused on two key areas from the Early Years Foundation Stage framework: four on communication and language, and three on early maths. A number of these evaluations were co-funded through the Department for Education’s Stronger Practice Hubs (full list in notes to editors).
One of the evaluated programmes, Concept Cat, aims to develop conceptual vocabulary in three- to four-year-olds by introducing abstract terms – such as most, large, and before – through stories and play. One new word is taught each week over 30 weeks, with support provided through remote training and site visits.
Conducted by RAND Europe and the University of Leeds, the evaluation involved 902 children in 89 settings. They found that children in settings who were using Concept Cat made, on average, two months’ additional progress in understanding conceptual vocabulary than a similar group of children in settings who didn’t use the programme. For children eligible for Early Years Pupil Premium (EYPP), the gain was three months, although the smaller sample size for this group means the result is not as secure.
Also published today is the EEF’s first evaluation of a childminder-focused programme: Communication Friendly Home-Based Settings, developed by Elklan. In this pilot, 40 childminders were given training to support the speech, language, and communication development of children aged 0 – 5. The evaluation, led by the Universities of Leeds, York and Sheffield, found the programme to be acceptable and of value to childminders with reported positive changes in practice and increased skills, confidence and knowledge among participants.
This project is an important step forward in building the evidence-base for childminders in particular, a group which is often overlooked in professional development efforts.
The other two evaluations of communication and language approaches are:
Talk with Tales with Children (TWiTCH), a programme that supports early years practitioners to use discussion of familiar stories like fairytales to promote language development for 3- and 4‑year-olds.The pilot evaluation, led by a team at Durham University, found the programme to have evidence of promise, with almost all settings (92%) able to implement at least six cycles of the programme during the year. Staff also reported increased knowledge and confidence in supporting children’s language development.
Tales Toolkit, a programme supporting three- to five-year-olds’ language and social development through oral storytelling, helping children create their own stories. In a pilot evaluation led by the Institute for Employment Studies, educators found the programme high quality and easy to use, reporting increased staff confidence, motivation, and changes in practice in areas such as supporting children’s language and collaborative play. Positive outcomes were also noted for children with SEND and those with English as an additional language. However, staffing challenges, particularly in PVIs, led to engagement variation.
The three evaluations of maths programmes are:
Maths Through Picture Books (MTPB), a targeted intervention that uses picture books and the ShREC approach to support reception-aged children requiring extra support. Delivered by Teaching Assistants and teachers, the pilot evaluation, which was led by Oxford MeasureEd, found staff were particularly positive about the ShREC approach and the small group size, highlighting high levels of engagement among children.
Counting Collections, a whole-class approach that uses a four-part routine, to develop number sense in four- and five-year-olds. The evaluators, from the Sheffield Institute of Education at Sheffield Hallam University, found that children who took part in the programme made one month of additional progress. However, children eligible for free school meals did not make additional progress compared to those eligible for free school meals in the control group.
The ONE, a programme helping educators deliver play-based activities aimed at developing executive functioning and numeracy for three- and four-year-olds. The evaluation, led by RAND Europe, found that children in settings using the programme made no additional progress compared to the control group, although measuring executive functioning well was difficult. For children eligible for the Early Years Pupil Premium, the gain was two months, although the smaller sample size for this group means the result is not as secure. Educators reported increased confidence and knowledge.
The EEF is now reviewing these evaluations to decide which should progress to the next stage of evaluation, to build an even better picture of their impact.
Commenting on the evaluation reports published today, Emily Yeomans, Co- Chief Executive of the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF), said:
Notes to editors
Five of these evaluations have been co-funded through the Department of Education’s Stronger Practice Hubs. These are: Concept Cat, Communication Friendly Home-Based Settings, The ONE, TWiTCH and Tales Toolkit.