Bridging Evidence and Education Practice

Why education is central to preventing violence 

Our vision of a world where no child becomes involved in violence relies on strong, proactive partnerships with education leaders, practitioners, and policymakers. Education is one of our seven priority sectors because schools and colleges are uniquely placed to make a difference. Every day, education settings safeguard children, spot risks early, intervene before harm escalates, and deliver many of the evidence-informed approaches proven to reduce violence. Just as importantly, they play a vital role in addressing the wider systemic factors that increase risk, including racism and poverty. 

Five evidence-informed recommendations for schools, colleges and Alternative Provision 

To support school, college and Alternative Provision settings in this work, we published our Education Practice Guidance in May 2024. Drawing on the best available international evidence, the guidance sets out five practical recommendations to help prevent violence:  

1. Keeping children and young people engaged in education 
2. Ensuring access to trusted adults 
3. Developing social and emotional skills 
4. Targeting support at the places and times where violence is most likely to occur 
5. Being cautious about unproven or potentially harmful approaches. 

Confidence and training gaps among Education leaders 

However, while this guidance provides a strong foundation, education leaders consistently tell us that knowing what works is only part of the challenge. Many lack the capacity, time, and support needed to implement evidence effectively in busy education settings. 

Our engagement with the sector highlights significant gaps in confidence and training. According to a YEF-funded Teacher Tapp survey conducted in January 2025, in England: 

• More than half of headteachers (51%) report that they are not confident in identifying and delivering evidence-based interventions to prevent children’s involvement in violence.  

• At the same time, the majority of teachers (82%) and designated safeguarding leads (72%) report receiving no recent training on serious violence.  

These findings point to a clear challenge: evidence can only make a meaningful difference when education settings are equipped to put it into practice. 

What Ofsted’s new Inspection Framework means for violence prevention 

This challenge has become even more pressing following recent changes to the Ofsted inspection framework. Schools and further education providers will now be inspected on how effectively they protect children from involvement in violence and whether they use evidence-based approaches to do so. A new focus within the safeguarding inspection toolkit places particular emphasis on child-on-child violence, with inspectors assessing whether staff can recognise early signs of risk and understand the importance of timely, evidence-informed intervention. 

Now more than ever, it is vital that the education sector is equipped with the tools, knowledge, and confidence to turn evidence into action. By supporting leaders to implement proven approaches effectively, we can help ensure that no child becomes involved in violence and that every education setting is a place of safety, opportunity, and prevention. 

It is against this backdrop that we are delivering two change programmes, designed to help education settings translate evidence into meaningful, everyday practice. 

Education Practice Insight Creator (EPIC) – a digital tool supporting evidence-informed decisions. 

Education leaders are already deeply committed to keeping children and young people safe. The challenge is not intent but ensuring that everyday practice within education settings reflects the very latest evidence on what works to reduce children’s involvement in violence. 

To help address this, we created EPIC — a free, digital tool designed specifically for education leaders. EPIC supports leaders to step back from the day-to-day pressures of running a setting and reflect on their current approaches to safeguarding and violence prevention. It brings evidence to life by helping leaders engage with research, assess how it aligns with their existing practice, and identify practical areas for improvement. 

Through an annual self-assessment, leaders receive a tailored insight report for their setting. This highlights strengths, pinpoints opportunities for development, and provides a clearer picture of how well current approaches align with evidence-informed practice. EPIC also enables leaders to benchmark their practice against similar settings and contexts, offering valuable insight into where they are doing well and where further support could make the greatest difference. 

By supporting reflection, learning, and continuous improvement, EPIC helps education leaders take confident, evidence-informed steps to strengthen prevention and keep children and young people safe. 

From Insight to Implementation 

EPIC helps education leaders understand where they are. It highlights how current practice aligns with the evidence and identifies where there is scope to strengthen prevention. But insight alone is not enough. Leaders also need practical, hands-on support to translate reflection into sustained action. That is where our second change programme comes in. 

Education Catalyst Pilot Programme 

To help education leaders turn evidence into action, we have launched the Education Catalyst Pilot Programme. The programme is designed to support schools and colleges to adopt evidence-based strategies that prevent children’s involvement in violence, while also building long-term capacity within the sector. 

As part of the pilot, we have appointed six Catalyst Partners across England and Wales. These partners work directly with education settings to support the adoption, adaptation, and sustainable embedding of the approaches set out in our Education Practice Guidance. Education leaders are supported to tailor evidence-informed strategies to their local context, ensuring that implementation is both practical and impactful. 

We’re thrilled to be part of this important national effort. At Oasis, we believe schools are more than places of learning – they’re communities of care, connection and opportunity. The programme will help us build on that foundation and contribute to a national evidence base for what works.

Matthew Cannon, National Safeguarding Lead at Oasis Community Learning  

This is a chance to lead with purpose. Our academies are ready to engage, reflect and innovate – putting young people at the heart of a safer, more inclusive future. 

Martin Brown, Principal of Oasis Academy Sholing in Southampton, whose academy is part of the Education Catalyst Pilot Programme 

What we’re learning about implementing evidence in Education 

The programme also has a strong learning focus. Through close collaboration with participating settings and partners, we are exploring a critical question: what support is needed — and what works — to enable education settings to implement evidence-informed approaches effectively? The insights generated through the pilot will help us understand how best to build confidence, capability, and consistency across the sector. 

We are excited to be working with our Catalyst Partners and the education settings involved, and we look forward to sharing learning from the programme as it develops.