Pupil Premium & EYFS Updates

The Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) via the Research Schools Network have shared some important evidence-based updates.

The EEF Guide to Pupil Premium

The Pupil Premium is one of the most important tools we have to address education outcomes for all. Getting the most out of the Pupil Premium resource requires careful consideration and planning. The EEF’s updated guide – and its accompanying resources – are designed to support schools to plan, implement, monitor, and sustain an effective strategy. They align with the Department for Education’s template for creating a Pupil Premium strategy as well as its ‘menu of approaches’.

Evaluation of a post-Covid Programme for 4 & 5 Year Olds

The national roll-out of a programme to support young children’s language skills in response to the COVID-19 pandemic had a positive impact on their development, according to an independent evaluation published by the EEF.

The Nuffield Early Language Intervention (NELI), created by the founders of OxEd and Assessment, was offered to all state-funded schools in England with Reception classes across three academic years, funded by the Department for Education. Over 6,500 schools registered to take part in the first year, while a further 4,000 signed up across the second and third years of delivery.

The independent evaluation, conducted by the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER), found that children who took part in the programme made on average four months’ additional progress in their language skills, compared to children in participating schools who didn’t receive the intervention. The study looked at data from 10,800 children in 350 schools who registered for the second year of the national roll-out (2021−22).

Professor Becky Francis CBE, Chief Executive of the Education Endowment Foundation, said:

It’s hard to overestimate how exciting it is to see a programme have a significant positive impact on a national scale. This gives early years educators a programme that they can trust to help children needing additional support with their communication and language skills, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

PSED Podcast Early Years

The EEF has published the latest episode of the podcast series,‘Evidence into Action’. The episode is focused on Personal Social and Emotional Development (PSED) in the early years. Host Alex Quigley is joined by expert EYFS guests.