Cordis Bright and Salford Foundation are pleased to announce the publication of the evaluation protocol for the Youth Endowment Fund (YEF)-funded efficacy trial of the Steps programme.

Steps is a manualised, classroom-based intervention designed to support boys aged 11–14 in secondary schools across Greater Manchester to challenge harmful gender norms, reduce misogynistic attitudes and behaviours, and support the prevention of gender-based violence (GBV). The programme consists of six weekly interactive sessions of around 60 minutes, delivered to groups of around 20 boys by trained Salford Foundation facilitators.

The published protocol sets out plans for a large-scale cluster randomised controlled trial (RCT), implementation and process evaluation and cost assessment, which will assess the impact of the programme on boys’ perceptions about harmful gender norms and traditional stereotypes, endorsement of harmful online actions, bystander efficacy and emotional and behavioural functioning. The evaluation will recruit 4,860 boys from 54 year groups across 18 secondary schools in Greater Manchester, who will be randomly allocated at the school year group level either to receive the Steps programme or to continue with business as usual.

Alongside the RCT, the study will explore how the programme is delivered in practice, how boys experience the intervention, and the factors that support successful implementation and engagement.

Programme delivery and fieldwork began in May 2026, with final reporting expected in March 2029.

The full evaluation protocol is available here: https://youthendowmentfund.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/SF_STEPS_EVALUATION_PROTOCOL.pdf

For more information about the evaluation, please contact Dr Jade Farrell.