These programmes have each shown positive impacts on pupil attainment when tested in large-scale, rigorous EEF trials. The EEF is providing funding, secured through the Department for Education’s Accelerator Fund, so that these programmes can be made available to schools and settings this academic year at little or no cost.
Early Years Settings: Maths Champions
This programme, developed by the National Day Nurseries Association, delivers high-quality professional development to early years educators to support improvements to early maths provision in PVI, maintained and school-based settings. Practitioners receive online training and one to one support with reviewing current maths provision, and planning and implementing steps to improve maths practice over the one-year programme duration.
Our most recent independent evaluation of Maths Champions found that children taught by practitioners who received the programme made, on average, three months’ additional progress in both maths and language development, comparison to those who were not.
Primary Schools: Ark Curriculum Plus’s Mathematics Mastery Primary
Mathematics Mastery Primary, developed by Ark Curriculum Plus, provides a whole-school approach to primary maths teaching, characterised by greater emphasis on mathematical thinking and problem solving, as well as a systematic approach to embedding mathematical language, and purposeful use of manipulatives and visual representations.
Our independent evaluation of the programme found that children who received the programme made an average of two additional months’ progress in maths, compared to those who did not.
Secondary Schools: Embedding Formative Assessment
Based on Dylan Wiliam’s research, Embedding Formative Assessment supports secondary schools to make effective, consistent use of formative assessment techniques to boost pupil engagement, and in turn improve academic outcomes.
Our independent evaluation of Embedding Formative Assessment found that pupils in schools that delivered the programme made the equivalent of two additional months’ progress in their Attainment 8 GCSE score than those in schools that did not.
These programmes are available nationally, with schools and early years settings able to sign up and start programme delivery this academic year. Schools and early years settings can express an interest in these projects now.
Professor Becky Francis CBE, Chief Executive of the Education Endowment Foundation, said: