The Literacy Octopus: trialling activities and support to improve pupils' Key Stage 2 literacy

A multi-armed randomised controlled trial on the effectiveness of different ways of engaging primary school teachers and primary school leaders with evidence-based approaches to improving Key Stage 2 literacy; and measuring their effect on pupils' attainment

Status

Active, not recruiting

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Interventional

Source

ISRCTN

Registry ID

ISRCTN84508118

Enrollment

13280

Registered

2014-10-06

Start date

2014-07-03

Completion date

Unknown

Last updated

2018-09-24

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

Conditions

This study is exploring the nature and impact of research communication, research engagement and research use by teachers and schools Not Applicable

Interventions

Through an RCT design, schools will be allocated to receive free information or support from one of these organisations, or to a control group where they continue 'business as usual'. The activities w

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

All

Inclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria: For the main trial, the principal inclusion criteria are: 1. Schools in local authorities in England, limited to travel distances to and from London or Leeds/York within a day 2. Primary schools (or those middle schools with Year 5s and 6s, i.e. where Key Stage 2 is taught) Headteachers, Key Stage 2 literacy coordinators, other Key Stage 2 teachers and leaders For the passive trial: 1. All primary schools in England (or those middle schools with a Year 5 and Year 6) that have not been randomised for the main trial

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion criteria: The main exclusion criteria for the main trial are: 1. Schools from local authorities deemed too far to travel to and from London or York/Leeds within a day 2. Schools from the independent sector 3. Special schools and pupil referral units 4. Schools that have already engaged with the research-use baseline survey through other EEF Research Use projects 5. A small number of other exclusions related to research engagement with the providers of the interventions The main exclusion criteria for the passive trial are: 1. Schools that have agreed to take part in the main trial and that have been randomised for that trial. No LA exclusions relating to geography are required

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
Pupil attainment in Key Stage 2 literacy (according to National Pupil Dataset records), collected in September 2015, 2016 and 2017	—

Secondary

Measure	Time frame
Teachers' survey responses at baseline and follow-up, exploring their awareness, understanding and actions (e.g., changes in practice) in relation to research use	—

Countries

United Kingdom

Outcome results

None listed

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