The 5Rs Approach to GCSE Maths Resits

What is 'The 5Rs approach'?

‘The 5Rs - a revision year approach to GCSE Maths resits’ is a Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) project that aims to support students re-sitting their GCSEs to improve their attainment.

The programme content is built on the 40 most common topics in GCSE exams and common exam pitfalls. The programme also introduces students to alternative methods for undertaking common but tricky calculations, such as multiplying numbers and adding fractions.

How can your college/school get involved in the 5Rs?

We are looking for colleges/schools (settings) in England to take part in the trials. The evaluation will involve randomly selecting 50% of the settings to deliver the 5Rs approach, with the other half continuing with “business as usual” for the whole academic year (2023/2024).

The Evaluation Team will use setting and student information provided by settings, including GCSE scores and information from the National Pupil Database (KS2), to assess any impact of the intervention on attainment.

Settings will not be eligible if any of the following apply:

• They operate roll-on roll-off recruitment of students.
• They were involved in the 2019-2020 trial and were in the group that received the 5Rs programme (those settings that followed business-as-usual – the “control group” – are eligible) or they were involved in the 2022-2023 trial (regardless of whether they received the 5Rs programme or they followed business-as-usual - the “control group”).
• They or their staff have previously been trained in or used the 5Rs programme, including accessing the 5Rs materials available on the AQA website and settings that received teacher licences for the online platform as part of the ‘Shine’ award.

To apply to take part in the 5Rs trials:

Please download the 5Rs approach memorandum of understanding (MoU) and the settings information sheet for further information and the full terms and conditions. If your setting is eligible and would like to take part, please complete the MOU and setting baseline information which can be found on page 4 of the MoU. Signed forms should be returned to 5Rs@aoc.co.uk. Trials will begin in the new academic year.

5Rs Setting Information Sheet

5Rs Memorandum of Understanding

Ineligible Settings List