The NSPCC’s Speak out Stay safe (SOSS) programme for primary school children aims to increase children’s awareness and understanding of abuse and harm and enable them to seek help from a trusted adult. The Evaluation of Speak out Stay safe (TESSE) was commissioned by the NSPCC and undertaken by an independent team of researchers based in all four UK countries and led by Professor Nicky Stanley at the University of Central Lancashire. The evaluation aimed to examine programme impact on children’s understanding of abuse and harm and their help-seeking behaviour. It also captured the experiences of children, teachers, volunteers and staff participating in the programme as well as barriers and facilitators of impact. Economic evaluation of costs and benefits of the SOSS
programme was included in the study. Delivered in primary schools across the UK, SOSS is a manualised programme consisting of a school assembly lasting 20 minutes for Key Stage 1 (KS1) children (aged 5–7 years) and 30 minutes for Key Stage 2 (KS2) children (aged 7–11 years)2, followed by a one-hour workshop
for KS2 pupils only. Different assembly presentations are delivered to KS1 and KS2 children by trained NSPCC staff or trained volunteers working in pairs.