The Harris Group

Harris Federation selected as Catalyst Partner to shape national best practice in preventing youth violence

We are delighted to announce that Harris Federation has been selected by the Youth Endowment Fund (YEF) as one of just a handful of national partners for their Education Catalyst Pilot Programme: a bold initiative designed to help schools test and embed evidence-informed strategies to prevent children’s involvement in violence.

“This partnership will not only benefit our students: it will help shape national thinking on how education settings can keep children safe from violence.”

As one of only two multi-academy trusts chosen, Harris will serve as a pilot site where YEF’s Education Practice Guidance will be tested, refined and scaled. This is a powerful recognition of Harris’ sector-leading expertise, as well as our appetite to learn and our commitment to developing best practice that can have an impacts across the education system.

What is the Catalyst Programme? 

Catalyst is about building evidence literacy among education leaders: helping them understand what works, why it works and how to embed it sustainably.

The programme will explore:

• How to triangulate evidence, context, and lived experience
• What barriers exist to implementing best practice
• How to support leaders in making lasting change
• How race equity can be embedded in every layer of practice

Rebecca Hickey, Secondary Director at Harris Federation, shared: “Keeping children safe is the most important thing we do. We are proud to be part of Catalyst because it allows us to deepen that commitment – by learning and testing what works. This partnership will not only benefit our students: it will help shape national thinking on how education settings can keep children safe from violence. We see time and again that Harris is uniquely placed to help organisations and philanthropists turn their ambitions into real-world impact. Bringing together scale, adaptability and the best educational talent in the country, Harris gives partners a dynamic environment to deliver change that matters.”

Dennis Simms, Assistant Director for Change in Education says:

“At the YEF, our mission is to prevent children’s involvement in violence by finding out what works – and build a movement to put it into practice. The Education Catalyst Pilot Programme is rooted in evidence-informed approaches aims to identify how to support education sector leaders across the system to implement them effectively. We’re proud to be partnering with the Harris Federation and other leading organisations across England and Wales to make this happen.”

Why this matters

Catalyst is not just a programme: it’s a platform for system change. The insights generated here could influence national leadership development programmes and inform future policy, shaping the next generation of educators. With implementation funding and a network of peer organisations, this is a rare opportunity to be part of something with real national significance.

We’re grateful to the Youth Endowment Fund for trusting us with this opportunity. We look forward to working with our leaders, partners, and communities to make this a success- and to sharing what we learn so others can benefit.

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