Achievement | Centre for the Use of Research & Evidence in Education (CUREE)

Taking your mind for a walk - Why story time is valuable

Aim: To investigate the impact of hearing high-quality stories on Year 2 childrens writing. In particular to look for literary and other echoes, examine childrens views of story times, compare the impact of stories heard in story times with those studied in Literacy sessions as big books, investigate the presentation and style of different stories to see whether these also had an impact; and examine whether story times helped children develop their vocabulary.

How mentoring can raise standards of achievement

Aim: To increase the level of achievement among Year 7 and Year 12 pupils in a girls comprehensive school through regular mentoring interviews between pupils and teachers.

Raising boys' attainment in English through single gender teaching and assessment for learning strategies

Aim: The original aim of the project was to investigate ways to raise boys attainment in English. We were aware that our GCSE top sets were heavily weighted towards girls, with often less than ten boys in a group of thirty plus, and we wanted to address this imbalance. The main aim of the study was to close the attainment gap between boys and girls.

Transition and beyond

Aim: The aims of this project were to create a smoother transition across key stages for teachers, pupils and parents, to improve collaboration across key stage transition and to develop teachers knowledge and understanding of each others curriculum/routines/events/lessons.

Raising students' performance in relation to NFER CAT scores

Aim: To identify actions teachers can take to improve learning through an examination of students academic performance in relation to prior attainment as measured by NFER Cognitive Abilities Test scores.

Communication between Students and their Teachers about Learning

Aim: The aim of this study was to identify and explore actions teachers can take to improve communication with students about their learning.

Curriculum continuity between primary and secondary school

Aim: To investigate teachers opinions of measures currently in place to ensure curriculum continuity between primary and secondary school.

Teacher confidence and teaching and learning in data handling

Aim: To examine the effect of teacher confidence on pupil confidence and hence achievement in the teaching and learning of mathematics with particular reference to data handling.

Effective questioning: stepping-stones to meta-cognition?'

Aim: There were two main, linked, aims of this project. The primary aim was to investigate the role of effective questioning by the teacher in a History class. The second aim explored the usefulness of this meta-cognitive strategy in enhancing higher-order thinking skills in the classroom. These are the skills that characterise higher achievement at Key Stages 3 and 4 (11-16 years of age).

How does involving the children in classroom planning affect their learning?

Aim: We were aware of a number of children who were coasting or dipping in English in Key Stage 2. We wanted to find out whether we could motivate them, using innovative classroom strategies.