Effectiveness trial of Mathematical Reasoning
| ISRCTN | ISRCTN18042440 |
|---|---|
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN18042440 |
- Submission date
- 10/07/2024
- Registration date
- 25/07/2024
- Last edited
- 16/06/2025
- Recruitment status
- No longer recruiting
- Overall study status
- Completed
- Condition category
- Other
Plain English summary of protocol
Background and study aims
Mathematical Reasoning is a programme developed by Oxford University for pupils in Year 2 that aims to improve mathematical attainment for all pupils by developing their understanding of the logical principles underlying mathematics. The programme focuses on quantitative reasoning and number sense and replaces one maths lesson per week for 12 weeks with a programme session. Previous studies suggest that the programme is effective at improving maths attainment when teachers are trained directly by the Oxford team, but less effective when implemented at scale with a ‘train-the-trainer’ approach. For the current study, Mathematical Reasoning will be implemented at scale, with training delivered via an online course, which may result in larger treatment effects than when the intervention is delivered using a ‘train-the-trainer’ approach. This study aims to investigate the impact of participation in Mathematical Reasoning on maths attainment for Year 2 pupils.
Who can participate?
Any state primary school in England can participate that is not already taking part in maths interventions similar to Mathematical Reasoning. Participating schools then select one or more classes of Year 2 pupils to take part. All pupils in these classes(es) can participate in the programme. Mixed classes (e.g. Year 1 and 2 pupils) can participate: all pupils in mixed classes will receive Mathematical Reasoning but only the Year 2 pupils will be included in the trial data and final analysis.
What does the study involve?
Approximately 240 primary schools will be recruited to the trial; each school will select at least one class of Year 2 pupils to take part. Schools are then randomly assigned to the intervention (Mathematical Reasoning) or control (‘business as usual’) so that there are 120 schools in each group. At intervention schools, a teacher and teaching assistant for the selected Year 2 class is trained in Mathematical Reasoning, via a series of online modules and webinars. They then deliver the programme to their Year 2 class, in the form of 12 units taught over 12-15 weeks, that are scheduled during normal maths lesson time. Pupils at control schools continue to be taught as usual and will not be eligible to receive the Mathematical Reasoning programme until after the trial ends.
Pupils will sit a maths test in September 2024 (before intervention delivery commences) and again in June 2025 (after it has ended). The effectiveness of the Mathematical Reasoning programme will be measured by how much intervention pupils have improved their maths score, compared to control pupils.
What are the possible benefits and risks of participating?
The potential benefit to pupils taking part in Mathematical Reasoning is an improved understanding of maths and consequently improved exam attainment. No risks of participating are anticipated.
Where is the study run from?
The study is being run by the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) in England. Teachers and TAs at intervention schools access the Mathematical Reasoning training online and deliver the lessons to pupils at their school.
When is the study starting and how long is it expected to run for?
October 2023 to March 2026
Who is funding the study?
Education Endowment Foundation (UK)
Who is the main contact?
Helen Poet, h.poet@nfer.ac.uk
Contact information
Principal Investigator
National Foundation for Educational Research
The Mere
Upton Park
Slough
SL1 2DQ
United Kingdom
| Phone | +44 (0)1753 574123 |
|---|---|
| h.poet@nfer.ac.uk |
Scientific
National Foundation for Educational Research
The Mere
Upton Park
Slough
SL1 2DQ
United Kingdom
 ORCID ID |
0000-0001-8224-5631 |
|---|---|
| Phone | +44 (0)1753 574123 |
| c.morton@nfer.ac.uk |
Public
National Foundation for Educational Research
The Mere
Upton Park
Slough
SL1 2DQ
United Kingdom
| Phone | +44 (0)1753 574123 |
|---|---|
| l.flemons@nfer.ac.uk |
Study information
| Study design | Interventional two-arm randomized controlled unblinded effectiveness trial with the intervention assigned at cluster (school) level |
|---|---|
| Primary study design | Interventional |
| Secondary study design | Randomised controlled trial |
| Study setting(s) | School |
| Study type | Other |
| Participant information sheet | 45768_PIS.pdf |
| Scientific title | Randomised controlled effectiveness trial investigating the effect of participation in the Mathematical Reasoning programme on maths attainment amongst Year 2 pupils |
| Study objectives | There is a difference in maths attainment, as measured by GL Assessment’s Progress Test in Maths (PTM7), for pupils receiving the Mathematical Reasoning intervention in comparison to control pupils who do not receive the intervention. |
| Ethics approval(s) | Ethics approval not required |
| Ethics approval additional information | There was no formal ethical approval for this trial. However, the evaluation will be conducted in accordance with NFER’s Code of Practice, available at NFER Code of Practice. Each participating school’s headteacher will provide their agreement to participate in the trial by signing the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that outlines the responsibilities of all parties involved in the trial. NFER will share a parent letter and withdrawal form with schools to be sent to parents/carers of all pupils that schools intend to nominate for screening. Through the withdrawal form, parents/carers will have the opportunity to withdraw their child from the evaluation and associated data processing at any stage of the trial. |
| Health condition(s) or problem(s) studied | Maths attainment amongst 6- and 7-year-old pupils |
| Intervention | Before randomisation schools select one or more classes of Year 2 pupils to participate in the trial. Randomisation will then be carried out by an NFER Statistician using R code, in a 1:1 ratio of control to intervention. Randomisation will occur at the cluster (school) level and will not be stratified. The randomisation code will be stored for reproducibility and transparency and will be included as an appendix in the statistical analysis plan and final report. The statistician will not be blinded to group allocation. Randomisation allocation data will then be passed to NFER’s Research and Product Operations team, who will liaise with schools. At intervention schools, the teacher and TA for the participating Year 2 class receive the Mathematical Reasoning online training. This training consists of nine modules. The first four modules cover the theory and rationale and provide an overview of the programme, module 5 provides practical guidance for implementing the programme and module 9. The remaining modules are optional. After completing the modules, the teacher and TA participate in three live webinars, which focus on participant-led discussion. Mathematical Reasoning is designed to be delivered to whole classes of pupils in the place of a normal maths lesson. The programme consists of 12 units delivered by the trained teacher, with TA support, across 12-15 weekly sessions. Each session should last about one hour: 40 minutes on a whole-class component followed by 20 minutes for group activities. For the group activities, half the class works with the teacher, while the other half plays computer games. These computer games provide an opportunity to practice the concepts taught in the whole class session. Control Year 2 pupils continue to be taught as usual and their teacher will not receive any additional training. |
| Intervention type | Behavioural |
| Primary outcome measure | Maths attainment measured using the GL Assessment Progress Test in Maths (PTM7) score, a continuous scale, obtained from tests administered at schools by teachers in September 2024 (the pretest measure) and by NFER test administrators in June 2025 (post-intervention) |
| Secondary outcome measures | The following secondary outcome variables will be measured using the GL Assessment Progress Test in Maths (PTM7) ‘process’ categories (subscales): 1. Fluency in facts and procedures, continuous scale 2. Fluency in conceptual understanding, continuous scale 3. Problem-solving, continuous scale 4. Mathematical reasoning, continuous scale Each of these will be obtained from tests administered at schools by teachers in September 2024 (the pretest measure) and by NFER test administrators in June 2025 (post-intervention) |
| Overall study start date | 23/10/2023 |
| Completion date | 30/06/2025 |
Eligibility
| Participant type(s) | Learner/student |
|---|---|
| Age group | Child |
| Lower age limit | 6 Years |
| Upper age limit | 7 Years |
| Sex | Both |
| Target number of participants | 6,168 |
| Total final enrolment | 6292 |
| Key inclusion criteria | 1. All state primary schools in England are eligible to participate: no particular regions will be prioritised during recruitment 2. The entire class of pupils completing Year 2 during the 2024/2025 academic year at a participating school is eligible for inclusion. If there are more than one Year 2 class in a school, one or multiple classes may be included, as the school wishes. |
| Key exclusion criteria | 1. Schools are excluded if they are participating in the Maths-Whizz and Maths Mastery trials or participating in the 2023 pilot study of the new Mathematical Reasoning training model 2. There are no pupil exclusion criteria. The programme is delivered to the whole class, with reasonable adjustments made for pupils with special educational needs or disabilities (SEND) where necessary. |
| Date of first enrolment | 01/02/2024 |
| Date of final enrolment | 30/06/2024 |
Locations
Countries of recruitment
- England
- United Kingdom
Study participating centre
Upton Park
Slough
SL1 2DQ
United Kingdom
Sponsor information
Charity
9th Floor
Millbank Tower
21-24 Millbank
London
SW1P 4QP
England
United Kingdom
| Phone | +44 (0)20 7802 1676 |
|---|---|
| info@eefoundation.org.uk | |
| Website | https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/ |
"ROR" |
https://ror.org/03bhd6288 |
Funders
Funder type
Charity
Private sector organisation / Trusts, charities, foundations (both public and private)
- Alternative name(s)
- EducEndowFoundn, Education Endowment Foundation | London, EEF
- Location
- United Kingdom
Results and Publications
| Intention to publish date | 31/03/2026 |
|---|---|
| Individual participant data (IPD) Intention to share | Yes |
| IPD sharing plan summary | Stored in non-publicly available repository |
| Publication and dissemination plan | The study protocol is published on the Education Endowment Foundation website here: https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/projects-and-evaluation/projects/mathematical-reasoning-2023-24-trial We intend to publish the final report in March 2026, which will be accessed in the same location. |
| IPD sharing plan | The datasets analysed during this study will be stored in a non-publicly available repository, the EEF data archive. Within 3 months of the end of the project, NFER will send school and pupil data to the Education Endowment Foundation's (EEF) data archive partner. This will include enough pupil-level data for an analyst to replicate the impact analysis. At this point, EEF’s data archive partner will keep a copy of the data and EEF will become the Data Controller. This data may be shared in an anonymised form with other research teams. Further matching to NPD and other administrative data may take place during subsequent research. All analyses will be conducted by Accredited Researchers within the Office for National Statistics’ Secure Research Service. |
Study outputs
| Output type | Details | Date created | Date added | Peer reviewed? | Patient-facing? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Protocol file | version 1.0 | 03/07/2024 | 10/07/2024 | No | No |
| Participant information sheet | 17/07/2024 | No | Yes |
Additional files
Editorial Notes
16/06/2025: Total final enrolment added.
17/07/2024: Study's existence confirmed by the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF).
