TEENSLEEP: Improving educational attainment through delayed school start time and sleep education
| ISRCTN | ISRCTN72460090 |
|---|---|
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN72460090 |
| Protocol serial number | N/A |
| Sponsors | University of York, University of Oxford |
| Funders | Wellcome Trust (grant code: 105428), Education Endowment Foundation |
- Submission date
- 01/04/2015
- Registration date
- 21/04/2015
- Last edited
- 10/05/2021
- Recruitment status
- No longer recruiting
- Overall study status
- Completed
- Condition category
- Other
Plain English summary of protocol
Background and study aims
During adolescence the biological clock changes. This change means that teenagers find it difficult to fall asleep early in the evening, and difficult to get up in the morning. Pilot work in the U.K. suggests that delaying the school start time until 10am improves performance in GCSE grades. This is likely to be due to the teaching is happening when teenagers are biologically more alert and able to engage in learning. As well as biological changes, teenagers face a lot of social pressures. Using electronic devices late into the evening may impact on sleep. This is also a time when teenagers are facing the stress of examinations and the pressure to perform well. Alongside the delayed school start time we will also be delivering a sleep education package, to teach teenagers how to get good sleep, and maintain it during periods of stress. There is strong evidence that sleep quality impacts on learning. The aims of this study are to investigate the impact, primarily on pupils’ GCSE grades, of improving sleep through sleep education and introducing a later school day for GCSE students. We are also interested in how these interventions affect sleep, mood and well-being.
Who can participate?
Year 10 and year 11 students attending a state school in England.
What does the study involve?
Participating schools are randomly allocated to one of four groups. The students attending the schools in group 1 start their lessons later in the day, with the school day being from 10am to 4pm. The students attending the schools in group 2 are given sleep education classes, which will teach them about sleep, how to get good night’s sleep and how to get a good night’s sleep when feeling stressed. These sessions take place over a period of 5 weeks and are from one hour a week. Those students in schools in group 3 start their school day at 10am and have the sleep education lessons. Those students attending schools in group 4 are used as controls and do not receive either intervention. The performance of the interventions are measured according to GCSE performance, sleep quality, day time sleepiness and general well-being experienced by all students taking part.
What are the possible benefits and risks of participating?
All schools involved in the study will be offered the sleep education package at the end, which will involve training teachers to deliver this engaging topic. There are no risks to taking part.
Where is the study run from?
The study is run from the University of Oxford and evaluated by the University of York and the University of Durham, but schools anywhere in England can participate.
When is the study starting and how long is it expected to run for?
February 2015 to September 2018
Who is funding the study?
1. The Wellcome Trust (UK) (grant code: 105428)
2. The Education Endowment Fund (UK)
Who is the main contact?
Dr Christopher-James Harvey
christopher-james.harvey@ndcn.ox.ac.uk
Contact information
Public
Level 6
West Wing
John Radcliffe Hospital
Oxford
OX3 9DU
United Kingdom
 ORCID ID |
0000-0003-2179-4711 |
|---|---|
| Phone | +44 (0)1865 234 957 |
| christopher-james.harvey@ndcn.ox.ac.uk |
Scientific
Director of York Trials Unit
Area 4
Seebohm Rowntree Building
Dept of Health Sciences
University of York
York
YO10 5DD
United Kingdom
Scientific
Durham University
School of Education
Leazes Road
Durham
DH1 1TA
United Kingdom
Study information
| Primary study design | Interventional |
|---|---|
| Study design | This is an interventional study with a two by two factorial pragmatic field design. |
| Secondary study design | Cluster randomised trial |
| Study type | Participant information sheet |
| Scientific title | Comparing the effect of a delayed school start time, sleep education, both and teaching-as-usual on examination performance in 14 to 16 year olds: a factorial cluster randomised controlled trial |
| Study objectives | There are 3 primary hypotheses: 1. Delaying the school start time will lead to an improvement in GCSE performance, relative to sleep education and no intervention 2. Sleep education will lead to an improvement in GCSE performance relative to no intervention 3. A delayed start-time and sleep education will lead to greater improvement in GCSE performance relative to individual interventions or no intervention The secondary hypothesis are: 1. Sleep education will lead to an improvement in sleep knowledge, better sleep, mood and well-being compared to baseline 2. A delay in the school start time will lead to a decrease in sleepiness and an improvement in mood and well being compared to baseline 3. Combined interventions will lead to an improvement in sleepiness, sleep, mood and wellbeing compared to baseline 4. Improvements in sleep will mediate improvements in GCSE performance |
| Ethics approval(s) | Oxford central ethical committee., 16/04/2015, ref: MS-IDREC-C1-2015-076 |
| Health condition(s) or problem(s) studied | Academic performance in year 10 and 11 pupils. |
| Intervention | There are 3 intervention arms: 1. One arm will receive a delay in the school start day, starting at 1000 and finishing at 1600. This will be implemented in the academic year 2016/17. 2. One arm will receive sleep education, which will teach about sleep, how get good sleep and how to maintain sleep during periods of stress. Teachers will be trained in delivering this curriculum. It will be delivered over 5 weeks, 1 hour per week. This will be delivered to year 10 and 11 pupils in academic year 2015/16 and to year 10 in academic year 2016/17. 3. One arm will receive both interventions. There is also a control arm. Schools in the control arm will receive no intervention. |
| Intervention type | Behavioural |
| Primary outcome measure(s) |
GCSE scores |
| Key secondary outcome measure(s) |
Secondary measures will look at sleep quality, sleepiness, chronotype and general well-being. This data will be gathered via survey comprising 4 questionnaires. |
| Completion date | 30/09/2018 |
Eligibility
| Participant type(s) | Mixed |
|---|---|
| Age group | Child |
| Sex | All |
| Target sample size at registration | 100 |
| Total final enrolment | 2 |
| Key inclusion criteria | Secondary schools across England will be eligible to take part in the study if they agree to all of the study requirements. |
| Key exclusion criteria | In the sub-sample of 20 pupils in each school, pupils will be excluded is they report a sleep disorder, any other psychological disorder, physiological disorders which may interfere with sleep, heart-rhythm abnormalities, excessive caffeine consumption or use of drugs know to affect sleep or the central nervous system. |
| Date of first enrolment | 22/04/2015 |
| Date of final enrolment | 30/09/2015 |
Locations
Countries of recruitment
- United Kingdom
- England
Study participating centres
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
Results and Publications
| Individual participant data (IPD) Intention to share | No |
|---|---|
| IPD sharing plan summary | Not expected to be made available |
| IPD sharing plan |
Study outputs
| Output type | Details | Date created | Date added | Peer reviewed? | Patient-facing? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Results article | 01/08/2019 | 10/05/2021 | Yes | No | |
| Participant information sheet | Participant information sheet | 11/11/2025 | 11/11/2025 | No | Yes |
| Study website | Study website | 11/11/2025 | 11/11/2025 | No | Yes |
Editorial Notes
10/05/2021: Publication reference and total final enrolment added.
