Does it work?: A case study of a Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT) in action

In 2012, the Wellcome Trust commissioned the first RCT evaluation of an intervention in science education.  The aim of the evaluation was to assess the effectiveness of a continuing professional development (CPD) course for science co-ordinators in primary schools.  Alongside the main evaluation, a case study of the RCT in action was undertaken.  This project aimed to gather the views of a variety of people associated with the RCT (the funders, the people delivering the CPD, the people trying to secure the participation of schools, the teachers in participating schools, the evaluation research team) with a view to identifying some of the benefits, issues and challenges associated with the use of RCTs in educational settings.