Evaluation of Emotion Coaching

Information about taking part in the evaluation of the Emotion Coaching training programme

About the study

The National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) is carrying out an independent evaluation of the Emotion Coaching (EC) training programme, which is being run in early years settings and nursery classes in primary schools by Emotion Coaching UK (ECUK). This training programme is designed to help early years staff support young children’s personal, social and emotional development, including self-regulation. ECUK is delivering the programme in partnership with Norland College.

The training programme will be delivered in the 2024-2025 school year. The evaluation is funded by the Education Endowment Foundation.

If you have any queries about the evaluation, please contact the research team on 0808 281 9513 or via email at EmotionCoaching@natcen.ac.uk.

Information for settings

Please refer to the timetable below for a guide to what taking part in this evaluation involves:

Timing	Evaluation activity
January – August 2024	Settings sign up to the programme
September 2024	Settings share details of staff working with 3-4 year olds children, including a member of the leadership team, with the research team (all settings) Settings securely upload details of 3-4 year old children eligible to take part in the evaluation (all settings) Staff complete the first online survey (all settings)
October 2024	Settings are randomised to intervention or comparison group
November 2024	Emotion Coaching 2-day online training (settings randomised to receive the training) Telephone interviews with selected staff members (settings randomised to receive the training)
December 2024 – January 2025	Emotion Coaching online workshops (settings randomised to receive the training)
June – July 2025	Staff complete the second online survey (all settings) Staff complete paper questionnaires about children (all settings) Telephone interviews with selected staff members (settings randomised to receive the training) Settings support observational assessments with children conducted by independent early years consultants (selected settings in both intervention and comparison groups)

A research report will be published on the website of the Education Endowment Foundation in spring 2026, with a separate follow-up report using linked school data (Early Years Foundation Stage Profile) being published in summer 2027.

Information for parents

In September 2024, nurseries taking part in the evaluation will have asked parents of eligible 3-4 year olds whether they are happy for their children to take part in this study. If you have not opted your child out, you will be invited to complete a short paper questionnaire about your child. This will be in June 2025, and you will receive this questionnaire from your nursery. The questionnaire will ask about your child’s behaviour and emotions at home. Participation is voluntary. Completed questionnaires should be returned to your nursery in the sealed envelope provided. You will be offered a £10 gift e-voucher for completing the survey, to be sent to you via email by the research team.

Once your child has completed their reception year at school, their progress data known as the Early Years Foundation Stage Profile (EYFSP) and stored in the National Pupil Database (NPD) will be linked with data collected in this evaluation. You can withdraw your child from the study, including withdrawing your permission to link their data with NPD, by contacting the research team via email at EmotionCoaching@natcen.ac.uk.

Privacy notice

You can read the privacy notice for the study here.

Contact us

If you have any queries about this evaluation, please contact the research team on 0808 281 9513 or via email at EmotionCoaching@natcen.ac.uk.