Education Endowment Foundation:How we work

How we work

Find out more about what we do, and why we do it.

Education inequality in England is entrenched. 

By the time they start school, a child born into a socio-economically disadvantaged family is already less likely to meet expected levels of language, communication, and physical development. These gaps only widen throughout primary and secondary school. 

By the age of 16, socio-economically disadvantaged young people are significantly more likely to leave formal education without good grades in English and maths. 

These attainment gaps are a major driver of differences in education and employment outcomes later in life. 

This doesn’t need to be the case. Giving every child – whatever their socio-economic background or where they go to school – access to great teaching is one of the most powerful levers we have for change. Using evidence – looking at what has and hasn’t worked in the past – puts us in a great position to do this. 

At the EEF, we support schools, nurseries and colleges to improve teaching and learning for two – 19-year-olds through better use of evidence.

We do this by:

  • Summarising evidence. Reviewing the best available evidence on teaching and learning and presenting in an accessible way.
  • Finding new evidence. Funding independent evaluations of programmes and approaches that aim to raise the attainment of children and young people from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds.
  • Putting evidence to use. Supporting education practitioners, as well as policymakers and other organisations, to use evidence in ways that improve teaching and learning.