Rich Retrieval – Pilot

NFER have been commissioned by the Education Endowment Foundation to conduct a pilot evaluation of the perceived impact of  Rich Retrieval, a professional development programme for Key Stage 2 science teachers to develop their use of ‘rich’ retrieval practice to support pupils’ schema development.

The aim of the research is to assess the feasibility, perceived impact and potential scalability of Rich Retrieval. The pilot will address the readiness of the programme for a larger scale trial.

To participate, schools must meet the following criteria:

  • State maintained schools only
  • Able to travel to PD days in either Bath or North Somerset
  • Science teaching should be done weekly rather than in termly blocks
  • The two participating teachers should be in Key Stage 2 and include a science lead or deputy lead
  • Not participating in other current EEF primary science trials 

This is a pilot evaluation.

The Rich Retrieval programme promotes the use of six topic-specific strategies referred to as the '5C's and Q': Compare, Contrast, Categorise, Connect, Create, and Question. It is integrated into weekly science lessons for 5-10 minutes. Teachers will be provided with a bank of activities which have been tailored to the science curriculum and relate to each of the Rich Retrieval strategies.

The professional development (PD) programme includes an introductory webinar for school leaders, followed by two in-person professional development days and two twilight one-hour webinars for participating teachers.

By taking part your school will contribute to the education evidence base that helps to inform and improve outcomes for children in primary science. The pilot report will be publicly available on the EEF website upon completion of the project.

All participating schools will receive:

  • the professional development programme described above
  • access to the resource bank of activities
  • a ‘thank you’ payment of £450-£550 on completion of the evaluation activities.

  • Recruitment to the project is running from January 2026 to April 2026, when a final list of participating schools will be confirmed.
  • Introductory webinar for Senior Leadership Team and completion of pre-questionnaire and data log will take place in September 2026.
  • PD Day 1 will be in October 2026, the Programme will also begin in October running until March 2027.
  • A Twight webinar will take place in November 2026 and April 2027
  • Schools will complete their delivery logs from November 2026 – April 2027
  • PD Day 2 will be in January 2027
  • School visits and online interviews will take place in February – March 2027
  • Teachers will complete an evaluation survey in May 2027.

If you have any questions or would like further information about the evaluation, please contact the project team at [email protected].