Education’s role in preventing youth violence

Schools on the front line

Across England and Wales, rates of absence, suspension and permanent exclusion have risen significantly since before the Covid-19 pandemic. The report notes robust evidence that disengagement from education significantly raises the risk of involvement in serious violence. Evidence from the Youth Endowment Fund (YEF) highlights what works: keeping children engaged in education, providing trusted relationships with adults and developing social and emotional skills.

Services and children’s identity

A qualitative study funded by the Department for Education and conducted with Dartington Service Design Lab explored how everyday interactions with services shape how children see themselves, and how this influences involvement in violence in England.

The researchers found that school exclusion can be experienced as a profound rejection, eroding belonging and aspiration and sometimes driving young people towards peers or environments where violence offers connection or agency. Positive experiences were equally powerful: teachers who listen, notice strengths and hold young people in positive regard can foster a narrative rooted in possibility rather than deficit.

A policy and practice review for YEF

RAND Europe conducted a ‘state of the nation’ project for YEF, Education and Violence: A Policy and Practice Review of England and Wales, examining how national policy supports – and inhibits – schools’ ability to prevent youth violence. It drew on a review of policy and evidence, interviews with 50 education stakeholders, and Delphi workshops to develop recommendations.

The review also drew on emerging evidence from YEF-funded evaluations of two government programmes: SAFE (Support, Attend, Fulfil, Exceed) and APST (Alternative Provision Specialist Taskforces). According to the report, this work played a central role in informing government decisions to extend both programmes.

Five system-level changes

The policy review identified five changes that would enable more schools to deliver effective violence prevention:

1. 01Target funding towards evidence-based approaches that improve attendance, build social and emotional skills, and provide access to trusted adults.
2. 02Create multidisciplinary support hubs in schools, introducing models such as APST at scale.
3. 03Ensure the review of the national curriculum in England embeds social-emotional learning and relationship-violence prevention.
4. 04Strengthen staff training and continuing professional development, equipping staff to keep children safe from violence.
5. 05Ensure Ofsted reforms include a focus on inclusive practice while recognising schools’ differing contexts and needs.