Violence Prevention in Education: Building on What Leaders Already Do

Violence prevention doesn’t have to be an additional ask for education leaders. In episode four of YEFcast, host Dennis Simms, YEF’s Assistant Director for Education, Insights & Collaboration and a former school leader, is joined by Jo Tedstone, YEF’s Change Lead for Education. They explore how education settings can connect the evidence on preventing violence with the priorities that education leaders already focus on, including attendance, behaviour and curriculum.

Drawing on YEF’s education practice guidance and the Education Catalyst pilot, which is testing how settings across England and Wales put that guidance into practice, Dennis and Jo discuss what early implementation is teaching us and where leaders can start.

They discuss:

• Why violence prevention connects with existing school improvement priorities, and how leaders can look at their current practice through a violence prevention lens
• How the EPIC self-assessment helps education settings reflect on their current practice against the evidence, and where to start
• Early signs of progress from the Education Catalyst pilot, from daily check-ins for suspended children to mentoring and enrichment activities
• Why settings adapt the recommendations to their context while staying true to the core components of the evidence
• How every adult in an education setting can become a trusted adult, and why keeping children safe is a shared responsibility
• What the pilot has shown about race equity, and why leaders are at different starting points

This episode builds on the mission of YEFcast: hosting evidence‑driven conversations with the people shaping policy, practice, and public understanding of violence involving young people.

Listen on:

Spotify

Youtube

Apple Podcasts