Achieving Early – trial

Achievement for All
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.Not given for this trial
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.
0
months
Project info

Independent Evaluator

NFER logo
NFER
Specialist early years coaches for nursery and Reception practitioners with the aim of improving children’s learning
Schools: 152 Grant: £855,933
Cancelled

The project

Achieving Early was a two-year, coaching-based improvement programme for early years practitioners, which in this trial was due to be delivered to nursery and reception classes in schools. It used specialist early years coaches to conduct monthly visits to train practitioners and improve pupil outcomes. During initial visits, the trained coach met the early years leaders in school and conducted a needs analysis. This was used to design a bespoke action plan. Coaches then supported a nominated champion to deliver the action plan in subsequent visits.

Action plans focussed specifically on four areas: 

  1. leadership and management;
  2. progress and learning;
  3. health, happiness and well-being; and
  4. working together to improve parental engagement. 

Also included was online support and one meeting per term of peer-to-peer support.

EEF summary

The project was co-funded by the EEF and the Department for Education as part of our Early Years Professional Development funding round. The EEF aspired to robustly evaluate the coaching programme, which had already been delivered in over 250 early years setting in England.

The evaluation was designed as a Randomised Control Trial with the NFER team. It aimed to measure the impact of Achieving Early on the language skills of target children in each setting, in addition to assessing the impact of the programme on a variety of Early Learning Goals for all children in the setting. The evaluation was also designed to include an implementation and process evaluationAn IPE is used to understand how and why an intervention has (or has not) been successful. Data is analysed to explore programme quality, reach, adaptation and differentiation, as well as setting fidelity and responsiveness to the trial design., to analyse how the programme would be implemented across different settings and the barriers and facilitators to implementation.

The EEF cancelled this trial before delivery began in settings due to findings from the September 2021 evaluation report of Achievement for All.