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
Twelve thousand eight hundred and twenty-eight primary school pupils across England and Wales will test whether a Finnish anti-bullying programme called KiVa works better than whatever their schools currently do. Bullying damages children’s mental health, school attendance, and academic progress. Many schools already have anti-bullying policies, but few have been tested in a rigorous trial. KiVa has shown promise in small Welsh pilots, but with wide variation between schools. This trial will settle whether it is effective and cost-effective at scale in UK primary schools. If KiVa works, it could give schools a proven, ready-to-use system for reducing bullying and improving children’s mental health. The programme includes classroom lessons, high-visibility playground supervision, a parent guide, and a trained school team to handle confirmed incidents. A successful result would mean fewer children suffering victimisation, less strain on school staff, and lower long-term costs from antisocial behaviour and mental health problems. The trial also includes an economic evaluation, so funders and policymakers will know whether the benefits justify the investment.
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Aim: To evaluate the effectiveness & cost-effectiveness of KiVa school-based anti-bullying programme in reducing bullying & victimisation. Design: A two-arm pragmatic multicentre, cluster-randomised controlled trial, with process evaluation, in 116 UK primary schools. Main research question: Is KiVa effective and cost-effective in reducing bullying among 7-11-year olds in UK schools? Intervention: Intervention schools will implement KiVa over one academic year. KiVa, is a whole-school programme, that has a Key Stage 2 (KS2) lesson curriculum, high visibility break time supervision vests, posters & a parent’s guide. All school staff learn about KiVa and its aims. Indicated actions address confirmed bullying incidents. KiVa has yet to be rigorously evaluated in the UK; two small pilot trial in Wales yielded positive findings, however with considerable variation across schools. Delivery: North Wales & Cheshire, the West Midlands, South East & South West England. KS2 teachers will deliver KiVa class lessons. A trained school based KiVa team will address confirmed bullying. Schools are trained by a local KiVa trainer co-ordinated through the Children’s Early Intervention Trust Charity the UK licensed disseminator. Participants: 116 primary schools (12,828 pupils) across England and Wales Comparator: Usual Practice (UP) Outcomes and measures (baseline & 12 month follow-up) Primary outcome: Pupil self-reported bullying and victimisation using the Olweus Bully Victim Questionnaire. Secondary outcomes: Pupil and teaching staff measures. Pupil level: Pupil mental health: Teacher Strengths & Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) Child roles in bullying Child Health Utility 9D (CHU-9D) School well-being (HIFAMS) School attendance Academic attainment Teaching staff level: Self-efficacy in dealing with bullying Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale Maslach Burnout Inventory-Educators Survey Analysis: Intention to treat based on individual pupils, allowing for clustering between pupils within school using robust standard errors. Between-group comparisons will be presented with two-sided 95% CIs. All analyses will control for school level stratification variables & pupil characteristics. ICCs will be reported with 95% CIs. Primary sub-group analyses will investigate intervention by pupil gender & Free School Meal status. Appropriate imputation methods will be applied via sensitivity analyses. Economic evaluation: Bullying incidence, Child Health Utility 9D, Client Service Receipt Inventory, asking for frequency of additional services used by children (e.g. through the school’s Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator/ team) and consultations with school staff regarding bullying; Intervention costs (e.g. staff training, supervision & resources) including data from routine sources. Process evaluation: An integral process evaluation will assess implementation fidelity; identify influences on KiVa implementation including how it interacts with school context; examine intervention mechanisms, including intervention receipt by pupils and parents; describe control schools’ UP in relation to preventing and dealing with bullying. Impact: A universal intervention that reduces bullying is likely to improve children’s mental health and, via improved school connectedness and peer and teacher relationships, reduce the high costs associated with antisocial behaviour, child mental health and inequalities.
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