The effect of incentive payments for teachers on pupil attainment

A randomised controlled trial of the 'Incentives and Coaching Research' intervention for pupils in Primary Years 2-6 and Secondary Maths pupils in Year 7 and 8 in schools which are part of the United Learning Academies in the UK

Status

Active, not recruiting

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Interventional

Source

ISRCTN

Registry ID

ISRCTN12967252

Enrollment

400

Registered

2017-02-24

Start date

2017-01-01

Completion date

Unknown

Last updated

2019-10-07

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Mathematics comprehension in Year 2-6 Primary school pupils and Year 7-8 Secondary school pupils Not Applicable

Interventions

Participating teachers will be allocated to either the intervention or the control group for financial incentives. Teachers randomised to the financial incentive condition will receive a “loss-framed”

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

All

Inclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria: All Year 2-6 Primary school pupils in participating schools in classes in which the teacher has agreed to participate and all Year 7-8 Secondary school pupils in participating schools in mathematics classes in which the teacher has agreed to participate.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion criteria: 1. Special education facilities for pupils with physical and/or mental and/or behavioural disorders 2. Pupil Referral Units

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
The trial will be measuring primary outcomes for different year groups: Year 3, 4, 5, 7 and 8: the primary outcome measure at the end of Years 3, 4, 5, 7 and 8 will be a stand-alone measure of mathematics administered in the summer term of 2018, one year after the intervention begins. The measure of mathematics will be administered and collected by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER). The study will use ACERs Essential Learning Metric (ELM) for Mathematics for Years 3, 4, 5, 7 and 8. The tests will be digital and will take 45-50 minutes to complete. The tests consist of two sets of measures: mathematical content (number, algebra, measurement, geometry, statistics and probability); and mathematical processes (understanding, fluency, problem solving and reasoning). Year 2 and 6: the primary outcome measure at the end of Years 2 and 6 will be the Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 test results for mathematics, administered in the summer term of 2018.	—

Measure

Time frame

The trial will be measuring primary outcomes for different year groups: Year 3, 4, 5, 7 and 8: the primary outcome measure at the end of Years 3, 4, 5, 7 and 8 will be a stand-alone measure of mathematics administered in the summer term of 2018, one year after the intervention begins. The measure of mathematics will be administered and collected by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER). The study will use ACERs Essential Learning Metric (ELM) for Mathematics for Years 3, 4, 5, 7 and 8. The tests will be digital and will take 45-50 minutes to complete. The tests consist of two sets of measures: mathematical content (number, algebra, measurement, geometry, statistics and probability); and mathematical processes (understanding, fluency, problem solving and reasoning). Year 2 and 6: the primary outcome measure at the end of Years 2 and 6 will be the Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 test results for mathematics, administered in the summer term of 2018.

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Secondary

Measure	Time frame
1. Cost effectiveness of the intervention through collecting data on intervention costs. Cost data will be collected through surveys of head teachers and teachers. Questions on costs will be included in surveys administered at midline (3 months after the start of the intervention, around December 2017), and at endline (in the summer term of 2018). Cost data will focus on prerequisite costs required for the implementation of the intervention, additional paid staff time required, paid staff cover required and unpaid overtime required 2. Compliance with allocation, through monitoring of the payout of financial incentives and monitoring of the coaching	—

Measure

Time frame

1. Cost effectiveness of the intervention through collecting data on intervention costs. Cost data will be collected through surveys of head teachers and teachers. Questions on costs will be included in surveys administered at midline (3 months after the start of the intervention, around December 2017), and at endline (in the summer term of 2018). Cost data will focus on prerequisite costs required for the implementation of the intervention, additional paid staff time required, paid staff cover required and unpaid overtime required 2. Compliance with allocation, through monitoring of the payout of financial incentives and monitoring of the coaching

—

Countries

United Kingdom

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ISRCTN (via WHO ICTRP) · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026