Schools should use mentoring and sports to support vulnerable pupils, survey pupils on where and when violence takes place and “cautiously” consider interventions that aren’t backed by “robust evidence” and avoid harmful practices. The – a charity similar to the Education Endowment Foundation set up to test approaches to tackling youth violence – has published new guidance for schools. A Teacher Tapp poll carried out for the charity in 2023 found 67 per cent of teachers reported that a child had physically assaulted another child in the last term. Forty-three per cent said a child had assaulted a teacher or other staff member. Fifteen per cent of teachers reported that a child had brought in a weapon, while 12 per cent reported sexual assault against another child and 1 per cent against a staff member. However, the report said schools are 鈥渟till safe spaces鈥. Eighty-nine per cent of teachers agreed they felt safe in school, while only 5 per cent said they did not. A separate YEF survey of 7,500 teenagers found 85 per cent reported feeling safe. The YEF’s new guidance 鈥渁ims to reduce children鈥檚 vulnerability to violence by making effective support more accessible in schools鈥. YEF executive director Jon Yates said: 鈥淏y bringing these services and support into schools, where children spend much of their time, we can improve access for the most vulnerable and help all children live a life free from violence.鈥 1. Keep children in education The YEF said schools should use 鈥渆vidence-backed strategies to improve attendance and behaviour鈥 in order to ensure children are 鈥渁ctively engaged in their education while benefiting from the protective environment schools provide鈥. Such interventions include meeting parents and carers of children to 鈥渆stablish the reasons for low attendance and discuss support and strategies for solving this鈥. Schools could also offer 鈥渞educed-price meals, such as breakfast clubs鈥. Schools should also implement “whole-school and targeted support to reduce the need for exclusion” and provide “appropriate support for temporarily suspended and permanently excluded children”. 2. Provide children with ‘trusted adults’ The report said when children are vulnerable and need support, having a 鈥減ositive adult role model whom they can turn to for help and guidance can make a big difference鈥. It suggested schools facilitate these 鈥渕eaningful connections鈥 by providing one-to-one mentoring by trained adults to support vulnerable children. Schools could also engage vulnerable children in sports 鈥渨ith coaches who can support them鈥. Both of these approaches have been 鈥渟hown to reduce violence, improve behaviour and develop social skills鈥. 3. Develop children鈥檚 social and emotional skills Schools should develop children鈥檚 social and emotional skills with a 鈥渦niversal curriculum, targeted support and whole-school strategies鈥. They should provide violence-reduction sessions to secondary-age children, implement an anti-bullying strategy and support access to therapy 鈥渇or children who require additional support鈥. The YEF said its research showed that lessons and therapies 鈥渁imed at helping children regulate their emotions, control impulses and empathise with others can reduce crime by up to 30%鈥. Lessons focused explicitly on dating and relationship violence 鈥渁re also effective, reducing violence by 17 per cent鈥. 4. Target efforts at the places violence occurs Research 鈥渋ndicates that violence happens more often in certain places and at certain times鈥, the report warned. Schools should therefore survey pupils to 鈥渋dentify when and where they feel less safe and provide targeted, evidence-based activities in response鈥. The charity also recommended schools meet with local partners such as the police, youth justice services and local authorities to 鈥渟hare relevant information and coordinate safeguarding efforts鈥. 5. ‘Cautiously’ consider unproven strategies The report said schools with limited resources should 鈥減rioritise approaches and interventions which are supported by evidence to work鈥. The Teacher Tapp poll found three in 10 teachers reported their school was using knife crime education assemblies or lessons. But 鈥渦nfortunately, there is no robust evidence regarding the impact of these programmes鈥. 鈥淕iven the lack of research, education leaders could instead spend their limited resources on strategies with a stronger evidence base, such as providing trusted adults and developing children鈥檚 social and emotional skills.鈥 6. ‘Little’ known about trauma-informed training The charity also said that 鈥渢rauma-informed principles鈥, which acknowledge the impact of past trauma on pupils鈥 behaviour, could lead to 鈥渢argeted support that some children may need鈥. Thirty per cent of primary and 38 per cent of secondary teachers told the Teacher Tapp survey their school delivered trauma-informed practice training for teachers. But 鈥渦nfortunately, we know very little about how to effectively train teachers to recognise trauma and amend their practice in response to it鈥. The YEF is 鈥currently funding research that aims to better understand the impact of trauma-informed practice trainin驳鈥. 鈥淲hile we await further evidence, leaders should carefully consider whether trauma-informed practice training is a priority in your setting.鈥 7. Avoid ‘harmful’ approaches Leaders should also be 鈥渁ware of approaches that can have a harmful impact鈥. Prison awareness programmes 鈥渁re a prime example of these鈥. The YEF said had found such programmes 鈥渄o not seem to have a desirable impact on children鈥檚 involvement in crime and violence鈥. 鈥淚n fact, research suggests they could increase the likelihood that children become involved in crime.鈥 The poll found 1 per cent of teachers reported their school ran visits to prisons, while 5 per cent said their school hosted assemblies from former prisoners.