A study of multi-grade teaching in English primary schools

This project will investigate the extent, drivers, and impact of multi-grade teaching in England’s mainstream primary schools.   

Why this project is important

Primary pupil numbers have fallen by 85,000 since 2019 and are forecast to fall by another 205,000 by 2028. Unfilled classrooms directly affect school budgets.  In response, increasing numbers of schools may need to adopt multi-grade teaching – where pupils from different year groups are taught in the same class. NFER’s Teacher Voice survey suggests over a quarter of primary schools currently adopt multi-grade teaching. 

How the research will be carried out

Despite widespread use of multi-grade classes, there is a lack of high-quality recent research on multi-grade teaching and its impact. The research team will fill this gap by address the following questions: 

1. How widespread is multi-grade teaching in primary schools in England today and how can schools which adopt this approach be categorised? 
2. What does existing research tell us about the drivers, opportunities, and challenges of offering multi-grade teaching in primary schools? 
3. How do schools that offer multi-grade teaching manage this in practice and to what extent can common models be identified? 
4. How does multi-grade teaching affect pupil outcomes2? 

The research will be completed in four stages: 

1. Synthesise existing research to consider the drivers, practicalities, and challenges of multi-grade teaching.  
2. Exploratory interviews with six expert stakeholders and two online focus groups with headteachers to inform the survey design and case study instruments. 
3. Ten case studies to explore how schools implement multi-grade teaching in practice, considering how schools in different contexts operate and how schools address leadership, staffing, pupil grouping, day-to-day operations, curriculum, pedagogy, and assessment.  
4. A survey of school leaders to ascertain how widespread multi-grade teaching is across English primary schools and categorise models of implementation.  

After completion of stages 1-4, the research team will explore the feasibility of  identifying a suitable counterfactual to evaluate the impact of multi-grade teaching on pupil outcomes at the end of primary and the impact of different modes of implementation.  

How this research will make a difference

The research will develop practical recommendations for practitioners on why, when, and how to adopt multi-grade teaching along with advice on key considerations, barriers and opportunities. It will also provide evidence to help national and local policymakers provide more targeted funding, support, advice and professional development for schools. Findings will be shared directly with school and trust leaders, the Department for Education, local authorities, representative bodies, and providers of teacher training and professional development.