What is Reception Jigsaw?

Reception Jigsaw is a professional development and school support programme for Reception staff delivered by White Rose Maths (WRM) specialists. Based on extensive research, sessions will provide early years practitioners with a thorough understanding of the pedagogy and subject knowledge required to support children’s early mathematical development.

Who is leading this project?

Influenced, inspired and informed by the work of leading researchers and practitioners across the world, White Rose Education brings together a team of highly experienced and passionate maths and science teaching experts dedicated to developing education for everyone.

What will this project look like in your setting?

Schools allocated to 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. in this trial will receive comprehensive training and support. This consists of five in-depth training sessions (two hour twilights) designed to build subject knowledge, as well as a comprehensive understanding of effective teaching and learning in early maths. All sessions will take place in your school, and consist of: 

1. Developing Early Number Sense
2. Creating a Mathematical Classroom
3. Mathematical Talk and Questioning
4. Reasoning and Problem Solving in the Early Years
5. Exploring Pattern, Shape and Spatial Reasoning

Participating schools will benefit from access to WRM resources and expert training at a heavily subsidised rate. All Reception staff, including support staff and the Maths Lead, can attend the training sessions, with other year groups also welcome to join. A lead person or Reception teacher will work with the trainer during five half-day coaching visits, complete gap tasks between sessions, and maintain a journal to record reflections and progress.

As part of the research evaluation, both intervention and control schools will need to complete certain evaluation tasks, such as supporting evaluators in carrying out pupil assessments and participating in surveys and interviews. Schools will provide a key contact for the project, as well as list of children starting Reception in September 2025. In autumn 2025, Reception teachers will complete a short observational baseline measure for 10 sampled children.

Intervention schools will be asked to pay a heavily subsidised rate of £1,437 + VAT to access the training, of which £250 will be refunded on completion of all testing and data requirements. Control schools will receive £250 on completion of the testing and data requirements. They will also have the opportunity to access the training package after the trial at a discounted rate. All participating schools will also receive £250 of White Rose credit that can be spent on any White Rose subscription, resource or CPD, and will also receive 12 months access to any WRE webinar in any phase or topic after the trial.

Who can take part?

Eligible schools must:

• Not have received White Rose Reception Jigsaw training in the last two years.
• Not have been in 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. of the first trial of Reception Jigsaw (or similar programmes).
• Not currently be involved in other EEF-funded Reception trials.

A previous trial of Reception Jigsaw showed promising results in improving early mathematics education. The trial found that pupils made an additional month of progress in maths attainment, with this effect lasting into the following year. In schools where participation was high, pupils made further progress. The programme also boosted teachers’ confidence in teaching maths. Although the Covid-19 pandemic affected attendance, the results were positive, well-received and cost-effective. This trial will provide evidence of impact in everyday, normal circumstances.

Early Years maths remains a key priority, and this programme addresses the need for professional development and coaching in this area. It is the first Reception-level maths programme evaluated by the EEF to show a positive impact on attainment, providing further grounds for this larger-scale trial. 

This project will be evaluated by the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) through a randomised controlled trialAn 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.. The evaluation will assess the impact of Reception Jigsaw on pupils’ mathematical attainment. Schools will have an equal chance of being allocated to 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. (receive the programme) or to 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. (continue with normal practice and not implement the programme).

The evaluation will be an effectiveness trial, testing the programme at scale under everyday conditions in a large number of schools. Alongside the impact evaluation, 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. will be conducted to explore how schools implement the programme and their perceptions of it.