The project is aimed at Key Stage 4 pupils in schools in South East England and is funded by the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF).

The Intervention

The aim of the Writing about Values Project is to evaluate some classroom activities that schools will carry out in their lessons. The classroom activities will take place as part of the normal lessons, and are short and simple writing exercises that give pupils a chance to write reflectively about something not directly tied to the GCSE syllabus. Previous research suggests that pupils may find these activities helpful, yet no research has investigated this in the UK. We will investigate the impact of the classroom activities activities on pupils’ attainment.

Benefits of Participating

• High impact – become part of a national trial that has the potential to increase attainment of Key Stage 4 pupils. The results of the initial trial will feed directly into a larger trial across the South East. The research will contribute to our understanding of what works in raising pupils’ attainment and, if succesful, the intervention will be widely disseminated to schools in England.
• Low demand – the intervention consists of 3 short in-class writing exercises (20 mins) + 2 paper surveys (15 mins)
• Full support – we provide a teacher briefing to support delivery of exercises + a dedicated contact person who delivers and collects all materials
• Engaging exercises - the exercises give pupils an opportunity to write reflectively about topics that are not directly linked to their GCSE syllabus
• A £1000 honorarium - for schools that complete the whole trial
• Become an Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) Research Partner School - this includes regular newsletter updates on the latest EEF projects and evidence, and access to EEF networking and knowledge events. More information about the EEF can be found on their website.