51% of headteachers have reported to YEF that they are not confident in identifying and delivering evidence-based interventions for preventing children’s involvement in violence.    To better enable awareness and engagement of this evidence, YEF launched the Education Practice Insight Creator (EPIC) in July 2025, with over 250 schools having completed it so far.  EPIC is a free, digital self-assessment tool designed to help education leaders…

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,…

Last week, the Department for Education (DfE) published new data on suspensions and permanent exclusions in England for the 2023/24 academic year. Worryingly, both have risen to record highs — the number of suspensions are up by 21% and permanent exclusions by 16% compared to the previous year. Around one in ten children are now…

The impact of violence on young people   Violence and the fear of violence has both physical and emotional impacts on children and young people, perhaps more acutely than many of us realise.  67% of teenage children are concerned about becoming victims of violence and 22% say that the anxiety has taken a toll on their…