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Evidence into Action is a podcast from the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF). This podcast welcomes experts in the field of education – fantastic researchers with important things to say, alongside a wealth of brilliant teachers and school leaders. Our mission is straightforward: to tackle the most important educational topics and offer you plenty of evidence-based ideas to reflect on and, hopefully, be able to put into action.
Episodes

Tuesday Mar 11, 2025
Teaching: an art or science - part 3
Tuesday Mar 11, 2025
Tuesday Mar 11, 2025
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Dr Cat Scutt (Deputy Chief Executive, Education and Research, Chartered College of Teaching)
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Sarah Cottinghatt (Professional development consultant and instructional coach)
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Dr Sally Riordan (Associate Professor of Social Policy Research, Northeastern University London)
Further resources

Tuesday Mar 04, 2025
Teaching: an art or science - part 2
Tuesday Mar 04, 2025
Tuesday Mar 04, 2025
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Dr Cat Scutt (Deputy Chief Executive, Education and Research, Chartered College of Teaching) @CatScutt
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Sarah Cottinghatt (Professional development consultant and instructional coach) @scottinghatt
- Dr Sally Riordan (Associate Professor of Social Policy Research, Northeastern University London)
Further resources
- EEF, Teacher Feedback to Improve Pupil Learning Guidance Report (October 2021)
- EEF Blog, The ShREC approach
- EEF, Vocabulary in Action tool (based on Beck model)
- EEF, Using Research Evidence: A Concise Guide (January 2024)
- Research Schools Network Clips from the Classroom

Tuesday Feb 25, 2025
Teaching: an art or science - part 1
Tuesday Feb 25, 2025
Tuesday Feb 25, 2025
In the first episode of a three-part series, ‘Teaching: an art or science?’, host Alex Quigley is joined by co-host, Harry Madgwick (EEF senior content and engagement manager) and expert guests including:
- Damilola Ajagbonna (Deputy Headteacher, Hitchin Boys’ School)
- Dr Cat Scutt (Deputy Chief Executive, Education and Research, Chartered College of Teaching)
- Sarah Cottinghatt (Professional development consultant and instructional coach)
- Dr Sally Riordan (Senior Research Fellow, UCL)
In this episode, Harry meets with his mentor from when he was an ECT to discuss what ECTs must master first upon entering the profession, what good mentoring can involve, and how to stay present and motivated as a teacher, accompanied by insights from a panel of experts.

Tuesday Jan 14, 2025
Breakfast clubs
Tuesday Jan 14, 2025
Tuesday Jan 14, 2025
- Lindsey McDonald, Chief Executive, Magic Breakfast, @LindseyMac_ @Magic_Breakfast (Start – 19:50)
- Toni Hayzen, Headteacher, Pembroke Park Primary School and Nursery, @PrimaryHT_Mum and
- Ash McGann, Headteacher, Burton Green Primary School (19:59 - End)
Further Resources:
- EEF Breakfast Interventions: Rapid Evidence Assessment (August 2024)
- TES, How to Build an Effective Breakfast Club: What the Research Says (August 2024)
- To find out more about the Magic Breakfast Early Adopters Scheme: Early Adopters Scheme - Magic Breakfast
- School Food Matters | School Food Matters

Tuesday Oct 08, 2024
Retrieval practice
Tuesday Oct 08, 2024
Tuesday Oct 08, 2024
In this instalment, host Alex Quigley is joined by co-host, Rachael Cattrall, EEF Content Specialist Alumna) and expert guests. They discuss the evolution of retrieval practice and insights into cognitive science, including how these principles and practices are being applied in classrooms.
- Dr Tom Perry, Associate Professor, University of Warwick (Start - 24:10)
- Rachel Wilson, Year 6 teacher & Deputy Research Director of Norwich Research School (24:10 - 37:50)
- Mark Miller, Director of Bradford Research School, Dixons Academies Trust (37:50 - End)
Further Resources:

Wednesday Aug 28, 2024
Implementation in schools
Wednesday Aug 28, 2024
Wednesday Aug 28, 2024
In this instalment, host Alex Quigley is joined by co-host, Kirsten Mould, EEF Senior Content and Engagement Manager, and expert guests. They discuss implementation in schools following the recent update of the EEF's implementation guidance report. They explore how we think about implementation and what it looks like in a practical sense.
- Jonathan Sharples, Associate Professor, EEF (Start - 28:23)
- Phil Stock, Director of Greenshaw Research School (28:23 - 49:27)
- Laura Spence, Director of Gloucestershire Research School (49:27 - End)
Further Resources:
- EEF, A School’s Guide to Implementation guidance report (Updated April 2024)
- Engage and Unite: moving beyond buy-in – blog from Greenshaw Research School

Wednesday Jun 26, 2024
Using research evidence well in education
Wednesday Jun 26, 2024
Wednesday Jun 26, 2024
In this instalment, host Alex Quigley is joined by co-host, Kirstin Mulholland, EEF Associate for School Engagement and Evidence Use, and expert guests. They discuss using research evidence well in the context of education, exploring the development of a culture and capacity for engaging with evidence in schools.
- Prof Rob Coe, Director of Research and Development at Evidence Based Education, EEF Senior Associate (3:10 - 30:03)
- Sean Harris, Lead for Research Improvement and Innovation at Tees Valley Education Trust (30:03 - 48:33)
- Claire Williams, Deputy Headteacher of Alexandra Park Primary School and Director of Alexandra Park Research School (48:33 - End)
Further Resources:
- EEF Using Research Evidence – a concise guide (Published January 2024)
- Research School Network
- The COM-B Model for behaviour change – an explainer from The Decision Lab

Thursday Mar 21, 2024
Supporting school attendance
Thursday Mar 21, 2024
Thursday Mar 21, 2024
In this instalment, host Alex Quigley is joined by co-host, Freya Morrissey, EEF Content Specialist for Learning Behaviours, and expert guests. They discuss the complex topic of attendance and explore what the evidence tells us about the best ways to support it.
- Owen Carter, Director at ImpactEd (Start - 19:48)
- Jane Elsworth, Director of Huntington Research School (19:48 - 41:28)
- Oliver Kerr, Headteacher of Old Moat Primary School, Manchester (41:28 - End)
Further Resources:
- Impact Ed: Understanding Attendance report
- EEF Supporting School Attendance webpage
- EEF’s Attendance intervention rapid evidence review 2022
For quick and easy access to future episodes, search for 'Evidence into Action' in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Google Podcasts and make sure you subscribe there.

Friday Jan 12, 2024
Primary Science
Friday Jan 12, 2024
Friday Jan 12, 2024
In this instalment, host Alex Quigley is joined by co-host, Grace Coker, EEF Content Specialist for maths, and expert guests. They discuss high-quality science teaching that fosters progress and children’s interest in science.
- Sarah Earle, Reader in Education, Bath Spa University (Start - 28:14)
- Ben Rogers, Director of Curriculum and Pedagogy, Paradigm Trust (28:14 - 47:21)
- Mikaela Moore, Director of Primary Science, Delta Academy Trust (47:21 - End)
Further Resources:
- Improving primary science guidance report, Education Endowment Foundation (Published November 2023)
- Guidance and resources to support teaching and assessment, Teacher Assessment in Primary Science (TAPS)
- Explorify resources
For quick and easy access to future episodes, search for 'Evidence into Action' in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Google Podcasts and make sure you subscribe there.

Monday Nov 13, 2023
Defining disadvantage
Monday Nov 13, 2023
Monday Nov 13, 2023
In this instalment, host Alex Quigley is joined by Kirsten Mould and expert guests to discuss how best to support pupils from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds. Guests include:
- Dr Rebecca Montacute, Head of Research and Policy, Sutton Trust (Start - 30:32)
- Marc Rowland, Pupil Premium Adviser, Unity School’s Partnership (30:32 - 53:26)
- Gill Fearns, Director, Lancashire Research School (53:26 - End)
Further Resources:
- Contextual Admissions, Sutton Trust
- The COVID Social Mobility and Opportunities (COSMO) study
- Elitist Britain, Sutton Trust
- The EEF Guide to the Pupil Premium, Education Endowment Foundation (Updated September 2024)
For quick and easy access to future episodes, search for 'Evidence into Action' in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Google Podcasts and make sure you subscribe there.