Nearly a quarter of schools failed to deliver the intervention, and successful implementation required senior-leader support, dedicated space, staff time and a timetabled slot¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study (2 entries) · causal r2 · q2
Currency · newest study 2016 · checked against its sources 2026-11-02 (automated, 2 of 2 entries) · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q2 i? Almost a quarter of schools did not deliver the intervention, mainly due to lack of teacher volunteers and other delivery issues. → Gorard et al. 2016 q2 i? Support from senior leaders, dedicated space, school staff time, and a dedicated slot in the school day or after school were identified as necessary conditions for successful implementation. → Gorard et al. 2016 (2)

Evidence¶

Gorard et al. 2016¶

Stephen Gorard, Beng Huat See, Nadia Siddiqui, Emma Smith and Patrick White. (2016). Youth Social Action Trials: Youth United — Evaluation report and executive summary. Education Endowment Foundation. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED581107

q2 · i? · causal · r2

Process evaluation of programme implementation across the 71 trial schools, drawing on delivery records and feedback from teachers, pupils and parents. Seven schools could not open units due to poor uptake, lack of teacher volunteers, or change of management.

"Almost a quarter of schools did not deliver the intervention due to issues such as lack of teacher volunteers, and other schools did not deliver a full programme of activity."

Gorard et al. 2016 (2)¶

Stephen Gorard, Beng Huat See, Nadia Siddiqui, Emma Smith and Patrick White. (2016). Youth Social Action Trials: Youth United — Evaluation report and executive summary. Education Endowment Foundation. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED581107

q2 · i? · causal · r2

The process evaluation identified factors preventing delivery as planned, including lack of dedicated space and time, lack of adult volunteers including teachers, and sometimes lack of support from school senior leaders.

"Support from senior leaders, dedicated space, school staff time, and a dedicated slot in the school day or after school were all identified as necessary conditions for successful implementation."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• SMART Spaces was feasibly delivered in English schools, with teachers reporting faithful delivery and positive engagement — reports the opposite
• Implementation fell short of the intended dosage: very few learners received two 15-minute sessions weekly for 30 weeks, mainly due to timetabling and absence — related
• Interviewees identified leadership prioritization, staff buy-in, and investments in staffing, training, partnerships, and funding as facilitators of trauma-engaged implementation — related
• Four implementation themes emerged from UK process evaluations: intervention format, policy consistency, staff buy-in, and perceived effectiveness — related
• Staff views of the interventions were more positive in schools with experienced TAs, senior staff support, and a dedicated delivery space. — related
• Implementation of the FLL intervention varied widely, with some schools delivering fewer weeks and some omitting the linked English literacy component — related
• Schools delivered very few RTI sessions in practice, making it impossible to implement, monitor and adjust the intervention as intended — related
• Successful implementation of both interventions was supported by a training programme emphasising fidelity and consistency with ongoing project-team support — related