These resources are being launched as a first version and will be updated based on peer review and feedback from users, and as more is learnt about the best approaches to evaluating these skills. We welcome advice and suggestions on how these resources can be improved. This is an initial attempt to identify skills and measures that are most relevant to EEF trials – it is not intended to be a definitive answer to how social and emotional skills or ​‘character’ should be measured.

As the accompanying guidance document sets out, it is also important to be cautious at this stage. In addition to the conceptual challenges, relatively little is yet known about how reliably changes in reported skills and attitudes predict actual changes in behaviour or other outcomes. Careful use of these measures can offer valuable insights and help to build this understanding, but it is important to interpret results with caution and in the context of wider information.