From Good to Great: Theorise It, Teach It, Track It
Take a familiar targeted intervention on a school provision map, such as a social-skills group. The sessions may be useful, but three questions matter. What exactly is the programme intended to help with, and why should its activities make a difference? Are we teaching the elements that matter? Are pupils using what they learn beyond the group? Together, these questions help us theorise, teach and track the intervention.
Theorise it: understand why the programme should help
Research gives us a useful starting point by showing which approaches have helped, the difficulties they were designed to address and the programme elements that seem to matter. Theorising turns that evidence into a local explanation of what should change and why.
Take the broad aim of “improving social understanding”. Social Information Processing theory suggests that a pupil may need help to notice and interpret social cues, decide what they want to happen, generate possible responses or put a chosen response into practice. A social-skills group might therefore model an interaction, use role play and provide feedback that directs attention to relevant cues. Repeated, supported practice should build the understanding, fluency and confidence needed to use the skill in real situations.
Teach it: keep what matters, adapt where needed
Teaching the programme well starts with fidelity: covering the intended content, using the recommended methods and following the suggested sequence. In the messy reality of school life, some flexibility is inevitable. The central judgement is knowing what can flex, what must stay in place and when an apparently practical change may reduce effectiveness.
A clear theory helps staff adapt around the essential ingredients. If a pupil is struggling to understand a situation, decide what they want, generate possible responses or put one into practice, staff can emphasise the relevant modelling, role play, feedback or supported playground practice without losing the programme’s intended content and sequence.
Before judging impact, check whether pupils received the programme as intended. Was the planned content covered in the recommended order and through the suggested methods? Were adaptations consistent with the route to change? Were there enough opportunities to practise in real situations?
Track it: notice what the pupil’s response is telling us
Tracking tests both our theory of how change should happen and whether the teaching activated that route. A child may remember a phrase during role play but miss the moment to use it. Another may notice the opening but not yet feel confident enough to act. Each response points to a different next step.
This gives us precise questions to track. Did the pupil notice and understand the relevant social cue? Could they decide what they wanted to happen, generate a workable response and put it into practice without adult prompting? Pupil and family views, alongside staff observations at breaktime, can show whether change is transferring into real situations.
Looking across the group can show where the route to change is working and where it needs refining. If pupils use a skill during the session but not on the playground, more supported practice may be enough. If progress is limited within the group, the teaching, programme fidelity or group composition may need attention. The evidence then feeds back into theorising and teaching.
Three linked tweaks can help a good intervention produce greater change
1. Theorise it. Be clear what the programme is intended to help with, why its activities should help and which elements are most likely to produce change.
2. Teach it. Deliver the intended content, methods and sequence with fidelity, adapting purposefully while protecting the programme’s route to change.
3. Track it. Use the theory to choose meaningful measures, then let pupil response guide the next refinement.
EPSS can help Trusts get more impact from interventions such as social-skills groups and executive-function support. We help staff clarify how an intervention should produce change, deliver its essential content and methods with fidelity, adapt purposefully and use meaningful measures to guide refinement.
If you would like to get more from your SEND interventions, email us to arrange an initial conversation about an EPSS review.
© Educational Psychology Services for Schools, 2026. Written by Dr. Kathryn Gibb. You are welcome to use and share this blog and its accompanying resources within your school or setting, provided the source is acknowledged. Please do not sell, publish, adapt or reproduce the materials elsewhere without permission.
Disclaimer: These ideas are general guidance and do not replace professional judgement, individual educational psychology advice, school policy, safeguarding procedures or specialist advice. Where behaviour, wellbeing or safety causes concern, follow usual school procedures and seek appropriate support.
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