Who is leading this project?
WhatWorked Education is a research company focused on improving classroom practice through rigorous, teacher-led evaluation.
What will this project look like in your setting?
The purpose of this study is to test the feasibility of a new research method – teacher-led micro-RCTs.
The study will explore whether teachers can use an online platform, WhatWorked Teachers, to deliver and evaluate interventions using teacher-led micro-RCTs (randomised controlled trialsAn RCT is used evaluate an educational programme by assigning settings to one of two groups: the intervention group, who receive the programme or the control group, who continue with business as usual. This ensures that any differences in outcomes can be confidently attributed to the programme, providing a robust estimate of the impact and contributing to the evidence for what works in improving educational outcomes.). These micro-trials are fast, focused, and tailored to real classroom contexts, and allow teachers to test interventions in their own context and receive instant feedback.
This is an exciting opportunity to test an innovative method of school-led evaluation – while also contributing to national research.
Teachers will:
- Choose to test a short 6‑week spelling intervention based on Look, Say, Cover, Write Check (LSCWC). The Look, Say, Cover, Write, Check method is a structured spelling strategy where pupils study a word, say it aloud, cover it, write it from memory, then check and correct their spelling to reinforce accurate recall.
- Decide whether to randomise at class-level (one class receives the intervention, one does not) or pupil-level (a small group of students receive the intervention, e.g. with a TA). A Trial Wizard will guide teachers through randomisation.
- Enter simple pre-test assessment scores into the WhatWorked Teachers platform, with the support of the Trial Wizard.
- Deliver the intervention and enter simple post-test assessment scores into the WhatWorked Teachers platform, with the support of the Trial Wizard.
- Receive an automated impact report to evaluate the approach in their own classroom.
All materials, support videos, and access to the WhatWorked Teachers platform are provided.
How does the trial work?
The evaluation team will analyse data from the platform and follow up with surveys and focus groups to understand what supports teacher engagement and what barriers exist for teachers using micro-RCTs and the automated platform.
There is no control groupAs part of a Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT), settings will be randomised into either the intervention or control group. Settings in the control group continue with their usual practices and help provide a comparison to measure the intervention’s impact. They are usually offered a monetary compensation as thanks for their contribution. at school level – all teachers within a setting are welcome to participate. All pupils in the control groupAs part of a Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT), settings will be randomised into either the intervention or control group. Settings in the control group continue with their usual practices and help provide a comparison to measure the intervention’s impact. They are usually offered a monetary compensation as thanks for their contribution. will receive a waitlisted version of the intervention after the trial if desired.
Who can take part?
To take part, you must:
- Teach in a mainstream primary school in England
- Have at least one class in Year 2, 3, 4 or 5
- Not be taking part in another EEF literacy trial at the same time, or with the same cohort
- Be willing to engage in the evaluation activities between September and December 2025
There is a growing need for more agile and scalable methods of generating evidence to support effective teaching practice. Traditional evaluation methods, while robust, can be time-consuming, expensive, and distant from day-to-day classroom realities. This project addresses that gap by exploring whether teacher-led micro-RCTs can serve as a practical and accessible way for educators to test interventions within their own classrooms. By integrating these trials into a user-friendly online platform, the approach aims to democratise evidence generation, allowing teachers to engage directly in testing and improving teaching strategies in real time.
This feasibility study offers a promising step towards that goal. While existing research has demonstrated the potential of teacher-led enquiry and small-scale trials, the use of micro-RCTs in education remains underexplored. This project will test the feasibility of automating trial design, data collection, and analysis, making it easier for teachers to participate in rigorous evaluations. Funding this work will help EEF understand whether such an approach can generate reliable findings, what typical effect sizes to expect from micro-RCTs, and whether cumulative meta-analysis across trials can offer meaningful insights. The learning from this study will inform future decisions about the scalability and value of this methodology within the EEF’s wider Teacher Choices programme.
This project is led by What Worked Education and will involve a set of several unique micro-RCTAn RCT is used evaluate an educational programme by assigning settings to one of two groups: the intervention groupAs part of a Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT), settings will be randomised into either the intervention or control group. Settings in the intervention group will receive the programme being tested. , who receive the programme or the control groupAs part of a Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT), settings will be randomised into either the intervention or control group. Settings in the control group continue with their usual practices and help provide a comparison to measure the intervention’s impact. They are usually offered a monetary compensation as thanks for their contribution., who continue with business as usual. This ensures that any differences in outcomes can be confidently attributed to the programme, providing a robust estimate of the impact and contributing to the evidence for what works in improving educational outcomes. designs with two types of randomisation: at pupil or class level. In addition to this, researchers will run surveys and focus groups with participating teachers.
Recruitment will be taking place in summer 2025.
Delivery will take place for six weeks in autumn 2025.
The evaluation report will be published in spring 2026.