Raising Early Achievement in Literacy
Note on provider involvement: This provider has agreed to EIF’s terms of reference, and the assessment has been conducted and published with the full cooperation of the programme provider.
Raising early achievement in literacy (REAL) aims to improve children's early literacy by teaching parents effective strategies for supporting their children’s learning.
The programme is a long-duration (five group sessions and 10 home visits over 12 or 18 months) literacy programme designed for families with children aged between three-and-a-half and five years living in disadvantaged communities.
REAL is delivered by teachers who have been trained in the delivery of the REAL programme. REAL has five main components: home visits by programme teachers; provision of literacy resources (particularly books); centre-based group activities; special events (eg group library visits); and postal communication between the teacher and child.
The programme is based on the ORIM concepts (Opportunities, Recognition, Interaction and Models of literacy). Operating within this framework, the programme aims to support parents’ contribution to their children’s literacy learning through: i) providing opportunities to learn; ii) recognising and valuing early achievements; iii) interacting in learning situations; and iv) modelling literacy behaviours.
EIF Programme Assessment
Raising Early Achievement in Literacy has evidence of a short-term positive impact on child outcomes from at least one rigorous evaluation.
What does the evidence rating mean?
Level 3 indicates evidence of efficacy. This means the programme can be described as evidence-based: it has evidence from at least one rigorously conducted RCT or QED demonstrating a statistically significant positive impact on at least one child outcome.
This programme does not receive a rating of 4 as it has not yet replicated its results in another rigorously conducted study, where at least one study indicates long-term impacts, and at least one uses measures independent of study participants.
A rating of 3 indicates that a programme has a medium cost to set up and deliver, compared with other interventions reviewed by EIF. This is equivalent to an estimated unit cost of £500–£999.
Child outcomes
According to the best available evidence for this programme's impact, it can achieve the following positive outcomes for children:
Enhancing school achievement & employment
Raising Early Achievement in Literacy
Key programme characteristics
Who is it for?
The best available evidence for this programme relates to the following age-groups:
- Preschool
How is it delivered?
The best available evidence for this programme relates to implementation through these delivery models:
- Home visiting
Where is it delivered?
The best available evidence for this programme relates to its implementation in these settings:
- Home
The programme may also be delivered in these settings:
- Children's centre or early-years setting
How is it targeted?
The best available evidence for this programme relates to its implementation as:
- Targeted selective
Where has it been implemented?
United Kingdom
UK provision
This programme has been implemented in the UK.
UK evaluation
This programme’s best evidence includes evaluation conducted in the UK.
Spotlight sets
EIF does not currently include this programme within any Spotlight set.
Raising Early Achievement in Literacy
About the programme
What happens during delivery?
How is it delivered?
- REAL is delivered to groups of approximately eight families in five group sessions (of approximately 45 minutes’ duration). In addition, 10 home visits are offered on an individual basis to each family. The programme is delivered by a teacher with QCF-6 qualifications and 64 hours of programme training.
What happens during the intervention?
- The programme is delivered over 12 or 18 months and is designed for families with children aged between three-and-a-half and five years living in disadvantaged communities.
- REAL has six main components: home visits by programme teachers; provision of literacy resources (particularly books); centre-based group activities; special events (eg group library visits); postal communication between the teacher and child; and appropriate adult education opportunities for parents.
- The programme is based on the ORIM concepts: Opportunities, Recognition, Interaction and Models of literacy.
- Operating within this framework, the programme aims to support parents’ contribution to their children’s literacy learning through: i) providing opportunities to learn; ii) recognising and valuing early achievements; iii) interacting in learning situations; and iv) modelling literacy behaviours.
What are the implementation requirements?
Who can deliver it?
- The programme is delivered by a teacher with NFQ 7/8 qualifications and 64 hours of programme training.
What are the training requirements?
- Practitioners have 64 hours of programme training. Booster training is not required.
How are the practitioners supervised?
- In the evaluated REAL project, supervision was provided by two programme developer supervisors with NFQ 7/8 qualifications.
What are the systems for maintaining fidelity?
- Training manual
- Other online material
- Video or DVD training
- Face-to-face training
Is there a licensing requirement?
There is no licence required to run this programme.
How does it work? (Theory of Change)
How does it work?
- REAL assumes that children’s early literacy skills can be improved through effective parental strategies for supporting children’s learning.
- REAL provides parents of pre-school children with strategies, ways of thinking about their roles, and resources to enable them to support their child’s development of literacy skills.
- In the short term, children’s literacy skills improve.
- In the long term, the programme is designed to improve children’s literacy achievement in school.
Contact details
Professor Cathy Nutbrown
University of Sheffield
[email protected]
Raising Early Achievement in Literacy
About the evidence
Raising Early Achievement in Literacy’s (REAL) most rigorous evidence comes from an RCT which was conducted in the UK.
This study identified statistically significant positive impact on a number of child outcomes.
A programme receives the same rating as its most robust study, which in this case is the Nutbrown et al. (2005) study, and so the programme receives a Level 3 rating overall.
.
Study 1
| Citation: | Nutbrown et al (2005) |
|---|---|
| Design: | RCT |
| Country: | United Kingdom |
| Sample: | 176 families |
| Timing: | Post-test |
| Child outcomes: |
Improved literacy
Improved letter recognition |
| Other outcomes: | None measured |
| Study rating: | 3 |
Nutbrown, C., Hannon, P., & Morgan, A. (2005). Early literacy work with families. London: SAGE Publications
Study design and sample
The first study is a rigorously conducted RCT.
This study involved random assignment of children to a REAL treatment group and a business-as-usual group.
This study was conducted in the UK, with a sample of 176 parents and their children randomly selected from the waiting lists of 11 schools within disadvantaged communities in Sheffield.
Measures
Child literacy was measured using the Sheffield Early Literacy Development Profile (direct assessment) and the School Literacy Attainment KS1 Literacy Assessments (direct assessment). Child letter recognition was measured using the Clay test (direct assessment). Child vocabulary was measured using the British Picture Vocabulary Scale – Revised (direct assessment).
Findings
This study identified statistically significant positive impact on a number of child outcomes.
This includes:
- Improved literacy
- Improved letter recognition
Other studies
The following studies were identified for this programme but did not count towards the programme's overall evidence rating. A programme receives the same rating as its most robust study or studies.
Hirst, K., Hannon, P., & Nutbrown, C. (2010). Effects of a preschool bilingual family literacy programme. Journal of Early Childhood Literacy, 10, 183-208 - This reference refers to a randomised control trial, conducted in the UK.
Published April 2024