Reducing class sizes or setting homework contribute little to raise standards, research finds
Forget school uniforms and streaming by ability: schools will raise standards if they focus on giving children effective feedback.
New guidance developed by academics at Durham University shows what works and what doesn't to improve exam performance. Reducing class sizes and setting homework for primary school children are among the least effective ways to raise standards, the research finds.
So are school uniforms - there is "no robust evidence" that blazers make any difference. Instead, students should be encouraged to develop independent "learning strategies" and to learn from each other.
The guide, published on Thursday by the education charity the Sutton Trust, outlines methods to increase pupils' performance for little cost and is intended to help schools in deciding how to spend the pupil premium.
The benefits of reducing class sizes "are not particularly large or clear, until class size is reduced to under 20 or even below 15", the guidance says.
Hiring more teaching assistants is associated with "very small or no effects on attainment".
And children may have cause to celebrate the fact that the guidance finds the benefits of homework are modest.
"It is certainly the case that schools whose pupils do homework tend to be successful schools. However it is less clear that the homework is the reason why they are successful," the academics say.
The optimum time spent doing homework for secondary school children is one to two hours per school day, but the benefits tail off as the amount of time spent increases, and there is little benefit in primary school pupils doing homework.
One of the most effective uses of a teacher's time is in giving good feedback - which should be sparing, specific and encouraging.
It is "more important to give feedback about what is right than what is wrong," the researchers say. It is also best to praise a particular task that has been accomplished well rather than praise a pupil as an individual with phrases like "good girl".
The guidance also advocates teaching approaches that encourage pupils to plan, monitor and evaluate their own learning.
On the introduction of uniforms, the guidance says that schools in challenging circumstances "often choose a school uniform policy as part of a broader range of improvement measures."
While there is no causal link between wearing blazers and ties and a school getting better, adopting a uniform may provide a "symbolic and public commitment to school improvement".
The academics say that teaching assistants have little effect or none on improving children's attainment, though their presence in the classroom can boost a teacher's morale.
The guidance is at odds with the current views of most teachers, according to polling conducted by the charity.
Nearly three-quarters (73%) of teachers identified reducing class sizes as one of their top three priorities when surveyed on how they intend to spend the pupil premium. And nearly half said that hiring more teaching assistants was one of their priorities.
Sir Peter Lampl, chairman of the Sutton Trust, said: "The key to improving the attainment of disadvantaged pupils is not necessarily how much money is spent in schools, but how much is spent on what is proven to work in the classroom."