What is Pathways Literacy?

Pathways Literacy is a whole-class mastery learning approach to writing, with an additional targeted intervention led by trained teaching assistants (TAs). The programme aims to improve pupils’ writing attainment, enjoyment and stamina using a structured approach to teaching grammar skills.

The programme will be delivered to Year 3 pupils and is made up of two components: Pathways to Write and Pathways to Progress.

• Pathways to Write follows a whole-class mastery learning model. Key writing skills are taught and repeated alongside guided instruction, teacher modelling and scaffolding.
• Pathways to Progress is a linked, targeted writing intervention for a small group of pupils. This intervention runs alongside the Pathways to Write programme, covering previously taught skills that are set out in half termly units.

Who is leading this project?

The programme is delivered by The Literacy Company, an experienced and dedicated team of literacy consultants who work closely with schools nationally to enhance the curriculum and improve standards in English.

What will this project look like in your setting?

Teachers will deliver Pathways to Write during usual literacy lessons for five hours per week, following units of work provided for one academic year (2025−26). Each unit lasts 4 – 6 weeks and is resourced with high-quality texts, lesson plans and slides, and supporting materials.

The Pathways to Progress intervention will be delivered by TAs in three, 20-minute sessions per week, using the same texts as the Pathways to Write programme. Up to 6 pupils will be selected to attend per half term, based on gaps identified in writing skills.

A subject leader will oversee the project in each school, and participating staff will receive training and support. This includes a full and a half day of training, as well as termly online support from a Literacy Company consultant. Teachers and TAs will also have access to short videos to support their subject knowledge, and will meet weekly to discuss progress, make adaptations to the programme and complete any necessary documentation.

Staff from participating schools will also take part in evaluation activities, including a post-delivery online survey and potential interviews. A sample of 6 schools will be selected for site visits which will include interviews with subject leaders, teachers and TAs, observations of Pathways to Progress and Pathways to Write sessions, and a group discussion with Year 3 pupils taking part in Pathways to Progress. A different group of five schools will be asked to try out a short 10-minute paper-based questionnaire about attitudes to writing to Y3 pupils at the end of the programme.

Who can take part?

The Literacy Company are recruiting 20 primary schools in the following regions to take part:

• Northwest
• Yorkshire and the Humber
• East of England
• East Midlands
• West Midlands

Please note, the programme is not available in all local authorities within these regions.

Eligibility criteria:

State-funded mainstream primary schools in England are eligible to participate in this pilot if they:

• Have single-aged classes
• Are not taking part in any of the following EEF trials: Writing Roots, Power of Reading, Rehearsal Room Writing, and Tutoring with the Lightning Squad
• Are not already using Pathways to Write or Pathways to Progress in Year 3

Pathways Literacy is based on the application of mastery learning, following evidence on key strategies that support learners in moving forward. The programme’s focus on using a structured approach to teaching grammar skills and building student motivation is aligned with key priority areas highlighted in the EEF’s Evidence Review on Writing (Slavin, 2019). The programme has anecdotal evidence from previous delivery: a developer-led pilot of Pathways Literacy to nine settings concluded that the majority of pupils who took part made progress with writing skills.

While The Literacy Company have delivered one or a combination of their Pathways programmes at a larger scale, the EEF are interested in funding this pilot to test the feasibility, evidence of promise, and readiness for trial of the combined delivery of Pathways to Write and Pathways to Progress, with its model of training and implementation support.

Writing is an area in which more research is needed to find successful approaches that align with promising evidence and address priorities in schools. The funding for this project and evaluation is from the Department for Education’s Accelerator Fund, which aims to expand the use of evidence-based programmes.

The programme will be evaluated by Oxford MeasurEd through a mixed-methods 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 explore whether Pathways Literacy has evidence to support its theory of change, is feasible to implement and is ready to be evaluated in a trial.