INCLUSIVE, also known as Learning Together, is a whole-school programme using a restorative practice approach to reduce bullying and aggression and promote health among secondary school pupils (pupils aged 11 – 16 in Years 7 – 11). The programme includes 2.5 hours of restorative practice training for all school staff, an additional three days of training for 5 – 10 members of staff and socioemotional skills curriculum materials (5−10 hours per year of lessons for pupils in Years 8 – 10). Schools must also coordinate two action group meetings per term, where a small group of staff and pupils meet to discuss action plans for improving school climate and practices related to inclusivity, informed by the results of needs assessment surveys completed by pupils.
Education Endowment Foundation:INCLUSIVE (Learning Together)
INCLUSIVE (Learning Together)
Independent Evaluator
Improving pupil behaviour is a key topic that teachers and schools want more information and advice about, whilst research shows that bullying is associated with negative impacts on children’s well-being and learning. This evaluation offered an opportunity to build the evidence on the impacts of a whole-school programme on academic outcomes, and to explore whether improvements in behaviour feed through to improved attainment.
The evaluation found that pupils in INCLUSIVE schools achieved higher GCSE Attainment 8 scores than pupils in other schools, on average, making the equivalent of 2 months’ additional progress. This finding has not been assigned an EEF security rating, as the innovative design of the evaluation building on an existing trial of health outcomes means that there are challenges in applying the EEF’s security rating criteria with confidence. However, it should be noted that there is uncertainty around the results. The evaluation also found that pupils in INCLUSIVE schools achieved higher Maths and English GCSE scores than children in other schools, on average, making the equivalent of an additional 1 month’s progress in Maths and an additional 2 months’ progress in English.
The results suggest that the programme may support pupil learning outcomes, as well as reducing bullying and aggression in schools. However, further research is needed to build the evidence-base on the impact of this programme and other whole school behaviour interventions. The EEF is exploring opportunities for further research in this area.
This was an innovative evaluation using data collected for an existing randomised controlled trial focused on health outcomes, led by a team UCL and London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, in combination with attainment data to explore educational impacts of the INCLUSIVE programme. Since the trial was not designed based on EEF protocol or with attainment as the primary outcome, the findings have not been assigned an EEF security rating. The analysis of the impacts of the programme on pupils eligible for Free School Meal also differed from the EEF’s usual approach, so the EEF is not presenting a separate months’ progress figure for pupils eligible for FSM. However, the results suggest the impact of the programme was similar for pupils eligible for Free School Meals compared to other pupils.
- 40 schools took part in this trial.
- The proportion of pupils eligible for Free School Meals in the schools in this trial was approximately twice the national average.
- The proportion of male pupils in the schools in this trial was 15 – 20% lower than the national average.
- After completing the training, schools delivering this programme need to organise regular action group meetings, bringing together a small group of staff and pupils to create action plans on improving school climate and practices related to inclusivity.
- Materials needed for the delivery of the socio-emotional skills curriculum were provided to schools as part of the programme package.
- Programme materials are available for free from the project development team at University College London and London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. The restorative practice training component of the programme is available commercially from L30 Relational Systems.
The average cost of INCLUSIVE for one intervention school was around £50,244, or £58 per pupil per year when averaged over three years. This is an estimate of the costs incurred by schools in the intervention group above the costs that control schools incurred as part of their usual practice dealing with bullying in school. These cost estimates were not calculated based on the EEF’s usual cost analysis approach, so caution should be taken when comparing costs to other EEF evaluations.