Overview

Wot Wud U Do was commissioned by Fulwood Academy to run an in-school project designed to support a group of Year 7 pupils struggling with their social and emotional skills, hindering their transition into secondary school. These students, identified as needing additional help to adjust to the increased independence and self-management required in high school, were provided with tailored interventions to enhance their social and emotional skills.

The project focused on equipping the pupils with the tools they needed to manage their behaviour, build resilience, and thrive within the classroom environment.

The Intervention – Social and emotional skills development

Over the course of six weeks, six students (four boys and two girls) participated in a programme led by a trained mental health first aider from Wot Wud U Do. The sessions covered key themes such as:

• Developing self-awareness
• Managing emotions and behaviours
• Improving decision-making skills
• Building and maintaining healthy relationships
• Increasing social awareness and understanding of others (Read more about the social and emotional framework we use here)

Students were supported in creating strategies to regulate their emotions and manage their behaviour, fostering an environment of self-reflection and positive reinforcement.

Impact on Students

To measure the programme’s effectiveness, students completed pre- and post-intervention questionnaires that assessed their confidence, decision-making abilities, and emotional regulation.

Here are some of the key results:

• Leadership Confidence: Before the intervention, only 33% of students felt confident leading a group; after the programme, 100% of the students reported often taking the lead.
• Problem-Solving: Initially, only half of the group felt capable of solving problems alone. By the end of the programme, ALL participants believed they could handle challenges independently.
• Decision-Making: Prior to the intervention, just 16.7% of students felt confident in making good decisions about their lives. This number rose to 50% by the end.
• Support Seeking: 83% of students previously did not know where to seek help for their emotional needs, but after the programme, this completely REVERSED.
• Behavioural Improvement: Students reported feeling calmer, more in control of their emotions, and better able to manage frustration and anger.

Feedback from the students reflected this growth. One student noted, “Whenever I feel like swearing, I hum instead as I think before I speak,” while another stated, “I haven’t been to impact [behaviour support] in 3 weeks, and when I feel angry, I now use the skills I was taught to calm down.“

Teacher Feedback

Teachers reported seeing a noticeable shift in the students’ behaviour and attitudes following the programme. They observed students thinking more before acting, showing increased kindness, and using self-regulation techniques to manage their emotions.

One student, in particular, saw a marked reduction in behavioural incidents, and teachers noted a general improvement in how students treated each other, with more compliments and displays of kindness.

Teachers also suggested that students may benefit from more frequent interventions or a mix of group and 1-to-1 sessions to reinforce learning.

Impact assessment

As part of our work at Fulwood Academy, we gathered data before and after the intervention to measure the programme’s impact on student behaviour. The data collection was facilitated by the school, focusing on positive and negative points attributed by teaching staff, which helped us gauge improvements in social and emotional skills. The data was collected two months before and two months after the intervention.

Key Findings

Out of the six students involved, we saw a remarkable improvement in the behaviour of four students. These students showed increases in positive behaviour points, ranging from 60% to 93%. This data not only highlights the effectiveness of the intervention but also underscores the programme’s ability to foster better behaviour management and emotional regulation.

These results demonstrate that the intervention had a strong impact on four out of the six participants, helping them regulate their behaviour, improve decision-making, and build positive relationships with their peers and teachers.

Areas for Further Support

While the majority of students saw positive changes, not all students benefited equally from the intervention:

• One student maintained a high level of positive behaviour, but there was no notable improvement beyond his initial performance. While his behaviour remained stable, this may indicate the need for more personalised support or reinforcement to sustain progress.
• Another student experienced a 24% decline in positive points post-intervention. This suggests that while the programme benefitted most, some students may require more intensive, individualised interventions to address their specific needs.

Both pupils were identified by Fulwood Academy as either having a formal diagnosis, or in the process of getting a formal diagnosis of Special Educational Needs (SEN). This identification played a significant role in their participation in the programme, as these students often face additional challenges when transitioning into secondary school, particularly around social and emotional development.

Overall Outcomes

The project successfully helped these Year 7 students improve their social and emotional skills, particularly around:

• Thinking before acting on impulse
• Managing negative emotions effectively
• Considering the consequences of their actions
• Understanding other people’s perspectives
• Communicating emotions in a healthy way

The intervention has positively impacted the students’ behaviour, confidence, and decision-making abilities, with many expressing that they now feel more equipped to handle the challenges of secondary school.

Quote from a student: “A kid on the bus made me angry, normally I would have done something bad and got into trouble. I realised it wasn’t that much of an issue, and I now understand their perspective.”

Conclusion and Next Steps

This data provides clear evidence of the positive impact Wot Wud U Do’s intervention had on students’ social and emotional development. However, it also highlights the importance of continued support and follow-up for certain students. The decline in behaviour for one pupil and the lack of significant improvement for another suggest that a more tailored or extended approach could further enhance outcomes.

Moving forward, this information will not only help us refine our programmes but also assist schools and support services in identifying students who need more intensive interventions. By working closely with teachers and support staff, we can ensure that these young people continue to grow, build resilience, and thrive in their school environment.

Through this targeted support, Wot Wud U Do has made a meaningful difference in these students’ transition to high school, helping them build the emotional resilience needed to succeed both academically and socially.