A social and emotional learning programme and a mentoring programme have been shown to improve school engagement and behavioural difficulties, respectively, according to independent evaluations published today by the Youth Endowment Fund (YEF).

The evaluations add important UK evidence on two approaches that research suggests can help prevent children from becoming involved in violence, improving our understanding of who they can support and how they can be delivered effectively.

The programmes were evaluated using randomised controlled trials (RCTs), alongside implementation and process evaluations, providing robust evidence of their impact and insights into how they can be delivered effectively in practice.

Boys’ Development Programme

The Boys’ Development Programme (BDP), delivered by Future Men, is a targeted social and emotional learning programme for secondary school boys who are experiencing challenges with school engagement or are at risk of exclusion. Boys receive 12 weekly one-to-one sessions with a trained practitioner during the school day to support their social and emotional skills, including emotional regulation, communication, conflict management and positive identity.

An RCT, funded by the YEF and the Education Endowment Foundation and delivered by Cordis Bright, found the programme had a small positive impact on school engagement immediately after completion. The findings received the YEF’s highest evidence security rating, reflecting high confidence in the reliability of the results. The programme also showed positive impacts on behavioural difficulties, emotional problems and teacher relationships, although peer difficulties increased. These were secondary outcomes of BDP and should therefore be treated with more caution.

REACH

The second programme evaluated was REACH, a mentoring programme for secondary school children aged 11–16 who are at risk of suspension and involvement in anti-social behaviour and crime. Children receive six months of one-to-one mentoring by trained youth workers. Developed by the Violence Reduction Network for Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland with Leicester City Council and Leicestershire County Council, the programme aims to build children’s confidence, resilience, relationships and aspirations.

The YEF-funded RCT, delivered by Sheffield Hallam University, found that REACH had a small positive impact on children’s behavioural difficulties. This finding received a high evidence security rating, indicating strong confidence in the reliability of the results. The programme also showed positive impacts across a range of secondary outcomes, including emotional regulation, peer relationships, prosocial behaviour, offending and anti-social behaviour, and school attendance, though there was also a small negative impact on school suspensions. Again, these were secondary findings, so they should be treated with more caution.

Exodus progresses to an efficacy trial

Alongside these two efficacy evaluations, the YEF has also published findings from a pilot study of Exodus, a mentoring programme delivered by UpskillU for 11–17-year-olds at risk of offending or involved in the criminal justice system. Following the results of the successful pilot evaluation by Coram, Exodus has now progressed to an efficacy trial to assess whether the programme can reduce offending, violence and exploitation among children. Findings will be published in 2028.

Rain Sherlock, Head of Evaluation at the YEF, said: “When supporting children who face challenges around school engagement and behavioural difficulties, it’s vital that we understand what works. These findings add important new UK evidence on approaches that can help address the risk factors linked to violence.

She added: “We’re grateful to Future Men, the Violence Reduction Network for Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland, and UpskillU for their commitment to independent evaluation. By putting their programmes forward for rigorous testing, they are helping build the evidence needed to ensure more children receive support that is effective and informed by research.”

Download the reports and resources

The full evaluation reports for the three programmes can be downloaded here:

• Boys’ Development Programme
• REACH
• Exodus

Further evidence on the effectiveness of mentoring and targeted social and emotional learning programmes, along with practical guidance on designing and delivering effective programmes, is available in YEF’s Violence Prevention Toolkit.