The 5Rs approach to GCSE Maths resits – trial

The first trial of the 5Rs approach was unable to estimate the impact of the programme on learners’ attainment due to disruption associated with the Covid-19 pandemic.

This second trial was was funded by the EEF through the Department for Education’s Accelerator Fund, as the 5Rs approach showed promise for increasing learning attainment. This programme was delivered by a partnership between the Association of Colleges and Julia Smith.

At the time this project was commissioned, just 40% of young people eligible for Free School Meals achieve passes in GCSE Maths and English, compared with 68% of their better-off peers (DfE, 2026). Pass rates for students re-sitting GCSE Maths are extremely low (DfE, 2026), and the 16 – 19 sector requires evidence about what works for these students.

The underlying principles of the 5Rs programme are grounded in previous research.

The trial was designed to be delivered over two cohorts to reach the required sample size. However, due to poor recruitment, the second cohort of the trial was cancelled and therefore the impact evaluation also had to be cancelled. The report focuses on the implementation and process evaluationAn IPE is used to understand how and why an intervention has (or has not) been successful. Data is analysed to explore programme quality, reach, adaptation and differentiation, as well as setting fidelity and responsiveness to the trial design. results and lessons learnt for delivering trials with the 16 – 19 sector.

Whilst teachers did report that the training supported them in understanding both the pedagogical approach of the 5Rs and improved their understanding of 16 – 19 GCSE maths resit, attendance at the webinar training sessions was low.

Learners in the 5Rs group did report improvements in their understanding and attitudes to maths, but similar levels of improvements were also reported by learners in the control groupAs part of a Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT), settings will be randomised into either the intervention or control group. Settings in the control group continue with their usual practices and help provide a comparison to measure the intervention’s impact. They are usually offered a monetary compensation as thanks for their contribution..

Barriers to implementation in the 16 – 19 sector included setting level factors (planning and timing of lessons) and learner factors (attendance, motivation and engagement). There were also difficulties with collecting data from participating 16 – 19 settings.

The EEF has no current plans for a further evaluation of the 5Rs.

• 61 16 – 19 settings were involved in the trial
• Settings were recruited from across all regions in England
• 28 settings were Further Education Colleges, 19 were School Sixth Forms and 14 were Sixth Form Colleges

• There was one 2‑hour online webinar session per term for teachers to attend. Resources included: schemes of work and lesson plan materials; diagnostic tests; links to a range of online resources shared via a Padlet; physical resources such as CorbettMaths cards, mathematical tea towels and a Pomodoro timer.
• Barriers to implementation included setting factors around planning and the timing of lessons. Learner factors around attendance, motivation and engagement were also reported as barriers, particularly for disadvantaged learners. Barriers were reported across both control and intervention settings.
• The 5Rs is no longer commercially available