Education Endowment Foundation:Tips by Text – first trial

Tips by Text – first trial

BIT
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.
-
Project info

Independent Evaluator

NIESR logo
NIESR
The Institute for Employment Studies logo
The Institute for Employment Studies
Sending text nudges to parents to improve literacy, maths, and social and emotional outcomes
Pupils: 2730 Schools: 105 Grant: £386,683
Key Stage: EY Duration: 1 year(s) 6 month(s) Type of Trial: Efficacy level evidence
Completed July 2020

The Behavioural Insights Team’s Tips by Text programme delivers a 9‑month text curriculum to the parents of Reception children, sending 3 texts per week designed to improve 4 – 5 year olds’ literacy, language, numeracy and social and emotional skills. These texts are derived from the READY4K! programme developed and tested in California.

The first message of the week is designed to inform and motivate parents, the second offers a specific activity designed to fit into family routines, while the final message provides encouragement, reinforcement and a follow up tip. A typical activity message to help develop numeracy skills might take the following form:​“As you put away the dishes, count the plates one-by-one with your child. Then try the bowls…”.

EEF Summary

As part of the Home Learning Environment Round, the EEF partnered with the Department for Education and Leeds-based education charity SHINE to test projects that support parents to help improve their children’s cognitive skills at home before they start school. Tips by Text was funded through this round.

This project and its evaluation were affected by the 2020 and 2021 partial school closures caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. As a result, the delivery was extended and outcome data collection delivered later than planned, and some outcome data collection was not possible. The trial experience significant attrition (approximately 70%), as far fewer post-tests could be completed due to Covid-19, and children experienced substantial disruption to their education and lives during this time.

With these caveats in mind, children whose parents received the Tips by Text programme showed no additional progress on a measure of literacy skills compared with children whose parents had not received the programme.

Among pupils eligible for Free School Meals, the estimated effect size for literacy skills was equivalent to one month’s additional progress. However, this was not statistically significant and should be interpreted with caution.

The EEF is discussing next steps for a potential further evaluation of Tips by Text.

Were the schools in the trial similar to my school?

  • There were 109 schools involved in the trial
  • The intervention was open to all parents and children in Reception year

Could I implement this in my school?

  • BIT delivered the messages to parents and responded to any messages requiring follow-up
  • Parents received three types of messages: ​“FACT” texts, designed to inform and motivate parents by highlighting the importance of a particular skill or set of skills, ​“TIP” texts, designed to minimise the cognitive, emotional, and time burdens of engaged parenting by include short, simple, and highly-specific activities for parents to do with their children that build on existing family routines and ​“GROWTH” texts, which provide encouragement, reinforcement, and extends the TIP texts.
  • Messages were sent three times a week (Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

How much will it cost?

From the perspective of a participating school, cost per pupil per year over 3 years is estimated at £47. This relates primarily to the cost of sending text messages and set up and monitoring costs.

Downloads