ArticleBMC public health2026
Imaginative play for inclusion: evaluating the young dragons tabletop role-playing intervention in UK schools.
Article in BMC public health, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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10 authors.
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Abstract
backgroundSchool exclusion in England disproportionately affects pupils with social, emotional, and mental health needs. Tabletop roleplaying games (TTRPGs) may strengthen social emotional learning but are rarely evaluated in UK state schools. Young Dragons, a Dungeons & Dragons based programme, was developed to support emotional regulation, teamwork, and engagement among pupils at risk of exclusion in two London boroughs.
methodsA convergent mixed methods realist evaluation was delivered across ten schools. Pupils aged 9-16 attended weekly one-hour sessions for 6-8 weeks in small, consistent groups. Pre/post pupil surveys captured wellbeing, self-concept, peer relations, school belonging, and loneliness; matched pair change (n = 22) used Wilcoxon signed rank tests. Semi-structured interviews with school staff and facilitators and observation of multiagency meetings explored implementation and perceived impact. Findings were integrated using joint displays and context-mechanism-outcome (CMO) mapping.
resultsNo statistically significant within person change was detected across matched items (all p > 0.10). Distributions showed heterogeneous trajectories: many pupils reported better mood, anger regulation, and confidence, while a minority shifted toward greater disengagement or loneliness. Exploratory analysis of routine school records (n = 30) showed a significant reduction in mean suspensions from 0.7 pre-intervention to 0.0 post-intervention (p = 0.022) and a modest, non-significant increase in mean attendance from 90.6% to 92.7% (p = 0.069). Qualitative accounts described strong engagement, psychological safety, and visible gains in self-management, turn taking, and teamwork, with positive spillover into classroom behaviour when groups were stable and facilitation was consistent. Delivery challenges included timetable pressures, space constraints, and stigma around targeted provision. Integration identified skilled facilitation, small-group safety, and structured reflection as key mechanisms enabling co-regulation, perspective taking, and belonging.
conclusionYoung Dragons was feasible and acceptable in high need school settings. Benefits were mechanism-consistent for many participants but contingent on context and facilitator quality. These pilot data justify a larger, controlled evaluation to test causal pathways and longer-term outcomes for inclusion and emotional wellbeing.
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