Behavioural Insights Team: Reciprocal Reading, 2023-4

We were commissioned to be a data collection partner for the Behavioural Insights Team for an independent evaluation of FFT Literacy’s Reciprocal Reading Programme – an intervention focussed on improving  Key Stage 2 and 3 children’s reading comprehension skills. The trial of the programme and the independent evaluation was commissioned and funded by the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF). We were tasked with completing baseline and follow-up assessments with pupils across 15 cluster areas including both intervention and control group schools.

We recruited and trained a team of almost 80 Assessors across the 15 areas of interest. All Assessors were DBS checked and underwent safeguarding training, as well as remote training in the assessment tool for the project. We arranged for assessments to be carried out in all 224 schools of interest at both the baseline and follow-up stages. Almost 4,000 pupils were assessed, with 98% of pupils being assessed at both stages.

Raw data was provided to the Behavioural Insights Team for analysis and reporting. The assessments we conducted provided evidence to the EEF that children in the targeted intervention made an average of +two months’ more progress in terms of reading comprehension and overall reading.