Efficacy Trial of the Rehearsal Room Writing Programme

What is the aim of this research?

This trial will evaluate the impact of the Royal Shakespeare Company’s (RSC) Rehearsal Room Writing (RRW) programme on pupils’ writing ability, alongside their enjoyment of writing, their belief in their writing ability, and their teachers’ perception of their ability to teach writing.

Who can take part?

The RSC is recruiting 183 state-maintained primary schools in England with a Year 5 cohort in 2025/6. Further eligibility criteria can be found here.

What type of research is this?

This is a randomised controlled trial (RCT) where recruited schools will be randomly assigned to either the intervention group (receives the RRW programme) or the control group (continues with their usual practice).

What does participation involve?

Nominated teachers in schools assigned to the intervention group will receive 5 days of in-person, residential training at the RSC’s rehearsal rooms in Stratford-upon-Avon and deliver a minimum of 20 hours of RRW sessions to their pupils in the 2025-26 academic year.

Teachers in both intervention and control schools will be required to administer a short writing assessment and survey to the pupils in their class in Autumn 2025. These same pupils will complete another assessment and survey in Summer 2026, administered by NFER Test Administrators. All participating teachers will also be asked to complete an online survey before and after participating in the programme. Further details about what participation involves can be found in the School Information Sheet.

How will you benefit from taking part?

Learning from the evaluation will provide evidence of any impact of the RRW programme on Year 5 pupil writing skills and contribute to the education evidence base that informs efforts to improve outcomes for all children.

What are the timings for this project?

A detailed timeline of activities can be found here.

How do you sign up?

The RSC are currently recruiting schools to participate in this trial. To express your interest, please complete the short form here. This does not require any commitment and can be submitted by any staff member at your school. Once submitted, the RSC team will be in contact to discuss any questions you might have and to check your eligibility for the programme. If your school is eligible and wishes to proceed, the RSC will send the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for your Headteacher to sign.

The closing date for expressions of interest is 20 June 2025.

Who can I contact for more information?

For further information about the RRW programme, please contact Lynsey McCulloch or Matthew Collins at [email protected].

For further information about the evaluation please contact NFER at [email protected].

Further information on this project, including information sheets and privacy notices can be found at the document links at the top of the page.