Education Endowment Foundation:Student Grouping Study

Student Grouping Study

UCL Institute of Education
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.
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.
-1
months
Project info

Independent Evaluator

UCL Institute of Education logo
UCL Institute of Education

The Student Grouping Study explored the difference in attainment outcomes for pupils taught maths in mixed attainment groups compared to setting.

Pupils: 15000 Schools: 120 Grant: £855,268
Participating settings: 120

The project

All schools make decisions on how to group pupils for teaching. However, there is limited evidence on the impact of different grouping practices on pupil attainment within the English education system (see the EEF Toolkit on Setting and streaming).

The Student Grouping Study examined the impact of teaching maths in mixed attainment groups compared with groups set by attainment on pupils’ attainment and self-confidence. The study focused on Year 7 and Year 8 pupils (aged 11 – 13) in mainstream secondary schools in England, with particular attention to socio-economically disadvantaged pupils and those with low prior attainment in maths.

The evaluators recruited two groups of schools, based on their usual practices for grouping pupils for maths lessons. The quasi-experimental design matched the two groups of schools to ensure they were as similar as possible across key attainment characteristics before comparing outcomes.

The study had three main objectives:

  1. To examine whether teaching maths in mixed attainment groups, compared with setting by attainment, has an impact on pupils’ maths attainment across all pupils in Year 7 and 8, and specifically for disadvantaged pupils (FSM) and those with low prior attainment.
  2. To examine whether grouping practices have an impact on pupils’ general self-confidence or on their maths self-confidence, again across all pupils and for FSM and low-prior attaining subgroups.
  3. To explore how opportunities to learn and teaching quality may explain any differences in outcomes across grouping practices and attainment levels.
Outcome/​Group
ImpactThe size of the difference between pupils in this trial and other pupils
SecurityHow confident are we in this result?
Mathematics achievement (all students)
-1
Months' progress
(Effect size -0.05)
Mathematics achievement (low-prior attainers)
0
Months' progress
(Effect size 0.04)
Mathematics achievement (FSM)
0
Months' progress
(Effect size 0.01)
Mathematics achievement (high-prior attainers)
-2
Months' progress
(Effect size -0.14)
N/A

EEF summary

Findings

  • Overall, pupils taught in mixed attainment groups made one month less progress in maths than those in groups that were set by attainment. This finding has a low to moderate security rating and should be interpreted with some caution.
  • Pupils with lower prior attainment in maths made similar progress regardless of grouping.
  • Pupils eligible for FSM made similar progress regardless of grouping.
  • There was some evidence of a narrowing attainment gap in maths between low- and high- prior-attaining pupils in the mixed attainment schools, driven largely by lower progress among higher attainers rather than greater progress among low attainers.
  • Mixed attainment grouping in maths had small negative effects on maths self-confidence for all pupils overall and for FSM-eligible pupils, but moderate negative effects for low prior attainers.
  • In the case study schools, mixed attainment maths lessons tended to resemble bottom-set rather than top-set teaching, particularly in pace. Extension activities for higher attainers were often unrelated to lesson content and rarely discussed in class; top sets offered more challenge through faster pace and greater GCSE focus.
In summary, mixed attainment or setting by attainment in maths produced similar outcomes for disadvantaged pupils and lower prior attainers. However, mixed attainment grouping may have small negative effects on high attainers’ progress in maths and moderate negative effects on low attainers’ maths self-confidence.

Were the schools/​settings in the trial similar to my school/​setting?

Project type: -Key Stage: Key Stage 3Subject: Maths
  • The final analysis included 27 mixed attainment and 62 matched schools that used setting by attainment.
  • Mixed attainment schools were identified and recruited through directly contacting schools about their grouping practices. A pool of potential comparison schools with similar observed characteristics were then identified through statistical matching.
  • The mixed attainment group had an average KS2 intake score of around 29 points. Around a third of schools in this group were rated Ofsted Outstanding and 15% Requires Improvement. FSM and EAL proportions were 22% and 20%, respectively. The majority of schools fell within IDACI quintiles 1 – 3, and 81% were urban.
  • The setted group had an average KS2 intake scores of around 29 points. Over a third of schools in this group were rated Ofsted Outstanding and 3% Requires Improvement. FSM and EAL were 19% and 14%, respectively. The majority of schools fell within IDACI quintiles 1 – 3, and 90% were urban.

Key lessons for schools

School adopting mixed attainment groupings should plan explicitly for how the approach will support effective teaching for all pupils, particularly higher attainers. Clear strategies for stretching and challenging high attainers should be embedded as a core part of lesson planning, with regular reflections on whether these strategies are being consistently implemented in practice.

For evidence and key messages on attainment grouping and its effects on socio-economically disadvantaged pupils, see the EEF Teaching and Learning toolkit summaries on setting and streaming and within class attainment grouping.

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