Implementation fell short of the intended dosage: very few learners received two 15-minute sessions weekly for 30 weeks, mainly due to timetabling and absence¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study (2 entries) · causal r2 · q2
Currency · newest study 2014 · checked against its sources 2026-11-02 (automated, 2 of 2 entries) · not reviewed by a person · overdue for a recheck since 2017: local conditions change quickly

Subclaims¶

q2 i? Very few interviewees reported learners receiving the intended two 15-minute sessions each week, with pupil and staff absences and scheduling cited as causes. → National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) 2014 q2 i? The most commonly reported barrier was lack of TA time to plan, prepare and fit sessions into the existing timetable. → National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) 2014 (2)

Evidence¶

National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) 2014¶

National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER), evaluation team led by Simon Rutt. (2014). Catch Up® Numeracy: Evaluation Report and Executive Summary. Education Endowment Foundation. https://www.educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/evaluation

q2 · i? · causal · r2

Qualitative process evaluation based on telephone interviews with 25 TAs and 24 coordinators across 27 schools (N=49 participants), plus training observations and TA questionnaires. Fidelity to the intended 60-session dosage was rare.

"Very few interviewees reported that learners had received two 15-minutes sessions each week. TAs tried to adhere to the intervention where possible, but pupils or staff absences prevented this from happening."

National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) 2014 (2)¶

National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER), evaluation team led by Simon Rutt. (2014). Catch Up® Numeracy: Evaluation Report and Executive Summary. Education Endowment Foundation. https://www.educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/evaluation

q2 · i? · causal · r2

In the same interview study, the most cited barrier to delivery was "A lack of time, specifically around TAs having sufficient time to plan and prepare for the sessions", mentioned by ten TAs and 12 coordinators; pupil absence, pupil attitudes, resources, location and senior-management support were also named.

"A lack of time, specifically around TAs having sufficient time to plan and prepare for the sessions and also finding time to fit in two 15-minute sessions each week within the existing school timetable. This was mentioned by ten TAs and 12 coordinators."

Discussion¶

Learner Variables¶

• Time and Continuity — outcome: instruction changes it

Related Claims¶

• Most Oakland secondary students receiving LLI fell short of the recommended minimum number of sessions — related
• Student participation in Air Tutors varied greatly across districts: 93 percent of District A students met the 24-hour threshold versus 16 percent in District B, where 62 percent received 15 or fewer hours — related
• Secondary students who received more LLI or were pulled out of other classes were particularly negatively affected, possibly from missing grade-level content — related
• The equivalent-time one-to-one group outperformed control (+0.27) with no significant difference from the Catch Up group, suggesting gains came from one-to-one teaching rather than Catch Up Numeracy itself — related
• Nearly a quarter of schools failed to deliver the intervention, and successful implementation required senior-leader support, dedicated space, staff time and a timetabled slot — related
• Implementation of the FLL intervention varied widely, with some schools delivering fewer weeks and some omitting the linked English literacy component — related
• Schools delivered very few RTI sessions in practice, making it impossible to implement, monitor and adjust the intervention as intended — related
• Implementation fidelity of Switch-on was compromised in some schools, with modifications to prescribed content, duration and format of sessions — related