The Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) launched the toolkit in 2011 to help boost the progress of disadvantaged learners and to support schools with Pupil Premium spending decisions.
It has become one of the most widely used educational evidence resources in England, with EEF polling showing that 69% of school leaders using the toolkit to inform their decisions.
The toolkit summarises findings from a global evidence-base across more than 30 different approaches to classroom teaching and learning and wider interventions.
The summaries include how different strategies can improve progress and attainment, alongside information on average costs and the strength of the evidence.
The latest updates encompass additions to the evidence-base for approaches including metacognition – one of the most accessed summaries – as well as oral language.
The update to the metacognition strand, for example, adds information from 107 new studies, many from international contexts and offers more practical guidance for teachers on how to embed metacognitive strategies in classroom practice.
The latest evidence shows that the estimated impact of this approach has increased from an additional seven months’ progress across an academic year to eight months.
The oral strand, meanwhile, now includes 34 additional studies, with an increased focus on interventions tested in early years and primary settings.
The other eight areas in the toolkit which have been updated are:
- Peer tutoring
- Summer schools
- Social and emotional learning
- Physical activity
- Extending school time
- Mentoring
- Parental engagement
- Behaviour interventions
The EEF has also confirmed this week that each of the toolkit’s strands will now be updated annually.
Chris Paterson, co-chief executive at the EEF, said: “In a world where new education research is published every day, it can be difficult for school leaders to distinguish between approaches that will have a lasting impact on teaching and learning, and those that are just short-lived trends.
“With school budgets under pressure and leaders busier than ever, cutting through the noise and investing in strategies that truly make a difference has never been more important.
“We’re delighted to share updated versions of 10 strands – especially as this marks the start of a new approach to evidence synthesis. From now on, each strand will be updated annually, so users can be even more confident that they’re accessing the most current and robust evidence.
“As one of our most widely used resources, we hope school leaders and educators continue to turn to the Toolkit to help support the effective implementation of evidence-informed practices in their settings. This will help all pupils, and particularly those from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds, to thrive.”