2 nd April 2019 Bangor Suzy Clarkson and Prof. Judy Hutchings

1. A multicentre cluster randomised controlled trial to evaluate the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of KiVa to reduce bullying in primary schools: The UK KiVa trial 2nd April 2019 Bangor Suzy Clarkson and Prof. Judy Hutchings Centre for Evidence Based Early Intervention Bangor University

2. Contents • KiVa • KiVa in the UK • Project • Background • Sites • Team • Design and Aims • Timeframe

3. KiVa in Finland • In Finland having an anti-bullying policy was a requirement on schools but monitored over 10 years it produced no change • In 2006 • The Ministry of Education and Culture funded the development of a bullying prevention programme to be implemented widely in Finnish schools

4. KiVa: Universal and Indicated Actions Pupil lessons and materials involved Parent materials Visible vests for persons supervising recess time Online anti-bullying games Online surveys with feedback of progress Monitoring implementation and long-term effects KiVa team Clear guidelines for tackling bullying

5. The Current Situation in the UK • Since 2006, schools in the UK must have an anti-bullying policy, however, there is no set standard • There is no specific advice or guidance on recommended evidence based strategies that could make the policies work • Rates of bullying and victimisation have remained stable

6. Welsh Pilot Study • A small-scale pilot study involving 17 schools 14 in Wales and 3 in Cheshire (2012/2013) • Welsh schools used the Welsh Government school improvement grant • Unit 2 curriculum for 9-11 year olds • Termly support meetings • Data collected - Pre-post online pupil self-report survey - Teacher mid- and end-point survey

7. Pilot Pupil Self-report Results Victimisation: t(12) =2.15, p =.027 Bullying: t(12) =2.79, p =.008 Final: Pupil sample n=472 School sample n=13

8. Pilot Teacher Feedback • Teachers: enthusiastic and positive about the lesson content and structure • Teachers: reported that 75-100% of pupils were engaged and enthusiastic about the lessons • The majority of teachers reported that KiVa had a positive impact on: child well-being, behaviour, pro-social behaviour, and class and playground atmosphere

9. Results from Early Implementer Schools

10. KiVa UK - Present Situation • Children’s Early Intervention Trust (CEIT) licensed as UK Hub for KiVa • CEIT funded training for two staff in Finland • CEIT accredited to train schools and trainers • Funded an administrative assistant to support the development of KiVa • Developing a network of UK trainers coordinated from the Centre through CEIT 10

11. Project Background • Bullying is a public mental health problem • Population studies suggest 25-40% mental health problems including depression, anxiety, and self-harm in young adults attributable to childhood bullying • Problems can last into adulthood, increasing use of primary care, mental health services, social services, and criminal justice system

12. Project Background • Systematic reviews consistently report that universal interventions are most effective in reducing bullying • UK school approaches vary greatly and are rarely evidence based • Need to scale identify and scale up effective approaches

13. NIHR PHR Funded Project £1,846,544Sites and Trials Unit

14. Project Team Chief Investigator and Bangor lead: Professor Judy Hutchings Co-Chief Investigator and Oxford lead: Professor Lucy Bowes Warwick lead: Professor Richard Hastings Exeter lead: Professor Tamsin Ford Cardiff Trials Unit: Dr Julia Townson Bangor Centre for Health Economics and Medicines Evaluation lead: Professor Rhiannon Tudor Edwards Process Evaluation lead: Dr Jeremy Segrott Patient and Patient Involvement lead: Dr Richard Watkins Other team members: Dr Joanna Charles, Dr Rachel Hayes, Dr Elinor Coulman, Dr Rebecca Canning-John, Dr Fiona Lugg-Widger, Dr Paul Patterson, and Suzy Clarkson.

15. Project Design and Aims Randomised controlled trial of KiVa: 2 arm pragmatic multicenter cluster trial 116 mainstream primary schools (58 each arm) Approximately 13,000 pupils aged 7-11 years Aim to evaluate: Is KiVa more effective than Usual Practice in reducing bullying and victimisation? Is KiVa more effective than UP in improving pupil mental health, wellbeing, quality of life, school well-being/connectedness, school attendance, academic attainment, reducing school exclusions, and improving staff confidence/stress levels?

16. Project Design and Aims Economic evaluation: Is KiVa more cost-effective than UP in reducing bullying and victimisation? Process evaluation: To what extent is KiVa implemented with fidelity, and what are the key influences on implementation across school contexts?

17. Timeframe • Schools will be recruited in July 2019/Feb 2020 across the four sites • Measures taken April/May 2020 • Randomisation End of May 2020 (Intervention/UP) • Randomly selected schools trained by CEIT registered trainers June 2020 • Delivery of KiVa in September 2020 • Process evaluation, cost data, and PPI will be ongoing, prior and during implementation • Measures retaken May/June 2021 • Control schools can opt to be trained June 2021

18. References • Axford, N., Hutchings, J., Bjornstad, G., Clarkson, S. & Hunt, A. (2014). KiVa: Helping schools and parents beat bullying. Better: Evidence-based Education, 6(2), 14-15. • Hutchings, J. (2014). New ways to tackle bullying. Society Central. http://societycentral.ac.uk/2014/04/08/new-ways-to-tackle-bullying/ • Clarkson, S. (2015) Together against bullying. The Psychologist 28 (2), 550-551 • Hutchings, J. & Clarkson, S. (2015). Introducing and piloting the KiVa bullying prevention programme in the UK. Educational and Child Psychology, 32, (1), 49-61. • Axford, N., Farrington, D.P., Clarkson, S., Bjornstad, G., Wrigley, Z. & Hutchings, J. (2015) Involving parents in school-based programmes to prevent and reduce bullying: Does it work? Journal of Children’s Services, 10(3). • Hutchings, J. & Clarkson, S. (2015). Rolling out evidence-based programmes in schools. Better: Evidence-based Education, 7(2) 20-21. • Clarkson et al. (2015). Effectiveness and micro-costing of the KiVa-bullying-prevention programme in Wales: Study protocol for a pilot randomised controlled trial. BMC Health. Doi: 10.1186/s12889-016-2746-1.

19. Thank you for listening! For more information: Suzy Clarkson, Judy Hutchings or Natalie Williams Centre for Evidence Based Early Intervention, School of Psychology, Bangor University,
Wales http://www.centreforearlyinterventionwales.co.uk j.hutchings@bangor.ac.uk s.clarkson@bangor.ac.uk natalie.williams@bangor.ac.uk 19