Trial Review

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Trial registered on ANZCTR


Registration number
Help: Registration number
ACTRN12626000313336
Ethics application status
Help: Ethics application status
Approved
Date submitted
Help: Date submitted
11/02/2026
Date registered
Help: Date registered
12/03/2026
Date last updated
Help: Date last updated
12/03/2026
Date data sharing statement initially provided
Help: Data sharing statement date
12/03/2026
Type of registration
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Retrospectively registered

Titles & IDs
Public title
Optimising Green Spaces in Specialist and Mainstream Primary Schools: The Green Schools Project Protocol
Scientific title
Effectiveness of new co-designed green spaces in specialist and mainstream primary schools on children’s social and emotional well-being and nature connection: The Green Schools Project Protocol
Additional trial identifiers [1] 316511 0
Nil
Universal Trial Number (UTN)
Trial acronym
The Green Schools project
Related trial records

Health condition
Health condition(s) studied:
Wellbeing 340643 0
Mental health 340645 0
Condition category
Condition code
Public Health 336835 336835 0 0
Health promotion/education
Mental Health 336836 336836 0 0
Other mental health disorders

Intervention/exposure
Study type
Interventional
Description of the intervention or exposure
A co-designed school greening intervention involving the installation of indoor and/or outdoor green spaces (e.g. gardens, nature play areas, green walls, planted areas, shade trees) in specialist and mainstream primary schools. Interventions are tailored to each school and will be co-designed in Phase 1. This will include environmental audits, staff interviews, student focus groups, and co-design workshops with school communities and industry partners. Installation of the new greening at the intervention schools will occur after baseline data collection (T1), followed by maintenance planning and training.

Focus groups: Selected children in Grades 3 to 6 at mainstream intervention schools will be invited to participate in one of two ~45-minute focus groups during school hours at T2 (3 months post installation completion) involving 6-8 students in each group. Participants will be selected by the principal or nominee, based on criteria such as grade level, interest in participating, and the ability to speak, read, and understand English and it is possible that they may include some children who participated in the focus groups in Phase 1. A researcher will facilitate the discussion using a focus group guide, with a second researcher present to assist and take notes.

Staff interviews: Semi-structured interviews will be conducted online with approximately 2-3 school staff at each intervention school at T2 (3 months post installation completion) and T3 (12 months post installation completion). Each interview will last around 45 minutes. An interview schedule will guide participants in discussing their experiences of implementing greening at their school, the perceived impacts on staff and students, and any unintended consequences that may have arisen from the greening. Interviews will be audio-recorded via Zoom.

Industry interviews: Semi-structured online interviews will be held at T2 with approximately 4-6 industry representatives from key industry partners and will take approximately 30-45 minutes. The purpose of these interviews is to gain an in-depth understanding of the barriers, challenges, or other key considerations they encountered during the process of greening implementation.

Co-design workshops: Two co-design workshops will be held approximately two weeks apart at each intervention school, comprising staff, students in Grades 3 to 6 (mainstream schools only) and representatives from industry partners involved in the design and implementation of the greening intervention (Tract, ecoDynamics and Nursery and Garden Industry Victoria). Each workshop will run for up to 60 minutes and will be conducted in-person during school hours.

Maintenance planning and training: Upon completion of the greening updates, a maintenance plan and training handover will occur with the school’s designated greening maintenance representatives. The Green Schools industry partners will draft the maintenance requirements and train the relevant staff regarding the maintenance program.

Duration of the intervention: The greening interventions are expected to take approximately 2-4 weeks at each school and are permanent. We will be collecting data 3 and 12 months after the greening updates are complete.

Non-randomised: Intervention schools were selected based on the exclusion/inclusion criteria and whether they were willing to participate, receive a greening update and ensure ongoing maintenance. Once the intervention schools were recruited, the control schools with similar characteristics to the intervention schools and that met the exclusion/inclusion criteria were identified and approached to participate.
Intervention code [1] 333174 0
Lifestyle
Intervention code [2] 333175 0
Behaviour
Description of the comparator or control
There are 4 control schools (2 mainstream and 2 special schools).
To support the time and effort, participating control schools will be given a $1000 voucher at the end of the project as well as advice from Horticultural experts on greening their school, and up to $1000 voucher to use towards greening improvements. The horticultural advice provided will depend on what is preferred by the school and may vary across the four schools. It is expected that the advice will be given face to face with the school horticultural staff member and will include advice and suggestions on how to improve/upgrade areas of the garden within the school grounds and what plants to include.
Control group
Active

Outcomes
Primary outcome [1] 344353 0
Children’s social and emotional well-being This will be assessed as a composite outcome.
Timepoint [1] 344353 0
Baseline, within one week prior to installation completion (T1), 12 months post-installation completion (T3)
Primary outcome [2] 344354 0
Child nature connection
Timepoint [2] 344354 0
Child: T1 (baseline, within one week prior to installation completion),T3 (12 months post-installation completion)
Primary outcome [3] 344355 0
Staff occupational wellbeing and engagement. This will be assessed as a composite primary outcome.
Timepoint [3] 344355 0
T1 (baseline, within one week prior to installation completion), T2 (3 months post-installation completion), T3 ((12 months post-installation completion)
Secondary outcome [1] 457595 0
Children’s physical activity
Timepoint [1] 457595 0
T1, T3
Secondary outcome [2] 457596 0
Child's outdoor time
Timepoint [2] 457596 0
T1,T3
Secondary outcome [3] 457598 0
Staff perceptions of the greening intervention
Timepoint [3] 457598 0
T2, T3
Secondary outcome [4] 457599 0
School environmental greening characteristics. This audit is a comprehensive tool assessing policy and practice (32 items), nature and sustainability (27 items), temperature (25 items), water (16 items), carbon management (7 items) and air quality (7 items). Additional items not covered in the audit will also be asked to assess total green area space, types of green space, shade coverage, outdoor learning areas, maintenance, indoor greening characteristics, views of nature from classrooms, and use of nearby green spaces.
Timepoint [4] 457599 0
T1,T3
Secondary outcome [5] 457600 0
Use of school grounds and play space patterns This will be assessed as a composite outcome
Timepoint [5] 457600 0
T1,T3
Secondary outcome [6] 457601 0
Implementation barriers
Timepoint [6] 457601 0
T2
Secondary outcome [7] 458103 0
Staff nature connection - please note this is a primary outcome
Timepoint [7] 458103 0
T1, T2,T3
Secondary outcome [8] 458106 0
Implementation facilitators
Timepoint [8] 458106 0
T2
Secondary outcome [9] 458579 0
Student perceptions of the greening intervention
Timepoint [9] 458579 0
T2

Eligibility
Key inclusion criteria
- Government mainstream or specialist primary schools in Melbourne
- Located in areas of low socio-economic advantage
- Low baseline levels of school greening
- School-level consent obtained
Participant criteria:
Quantitative measures:
Staff survey: all staff at all schools
Parent survey: all parents at all schools
Child survey: children in grades 3-6 at all mainstream schools
Child accelerometry: children in grades prep-6 at all mainstream schools

Co-design measures:
Staff interviews: ~2-3 school staff at each intervention school (staff nominated by the Principal)
Focus groups with children: Selected children in Grades 3 to 6 attending mainstream intervention schools (children selected by the Principal)
Co-design workshops: School staff and students in Grades 3 to 6 (mainstream schools only) at intervention schools and representatives from industry partners involved in the design and implementation of the greening intervention (Tract, ecoDynamics and Nursery and Garden Industry Victoria).

Post-greening qualitative measures:
Staff interviews: ~ 2-3 school staff at each intervention school (staff nominated by the Principal)
Focus groups with children: Selected children in Grades 3 to 6 at mainstream intervention schools will be invited to participate in one of two ~45-minute focus groups during school hours at T2 involving 6-8 students in each group.
Interviews with industry: ~4-6 industry representatives from key industry partners involved in delivering the intervention.
Minimum age
4 Years
Maximum age
70 Years
Sex
Both males and females
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Key exclusion criteria
- Non-government schools
- Schools with high baseline levels of greening

Study design
Purpose of the study
Prevention
Allocation to intervention
Non-randomised trial
Procedure for enrolling a subject and allocating the treatment (allocation concealment procedures)
Methods used to generate the sequence in which subjects will be randomised (sequence generation)
Masking / blinding
Open (masking not used)
Who is / are masked / blinded?



Intervention assignment
Other design features
Phase
Not Applicable
Type of endpoint/s
Statistical methods / analysis

Recruitment
Recruitment status
Recruiting
Date of first participant enrolment
Anticipated
Actual
12/08/2025
Date of last participant enrolment
Anticipated
1/08/2027
Actual
Date of last data collection
Anticipated
1/08/2027
Actual
Sample size
Target
2500
Accrual to date
500
Final
Recruitment in Australia
Recruitment state(s)
VIC

Funding & Sponsors
Funding source category [1] 321124 0
Commercial sector/Industry
Name [1] 321124 0
HORT Innovation
Country [1] 321124 0
Australia
Funding source category [2] 321127 0
Commercial sector/Industry
Name [2] 321127 0
Ecodynamics
Country [2] 321127 0
Australia
Funding source category [3] 321128 0
Commercial sector/Industry
Name [3] 321128 0
Tract
Country [3] 321128 0
Australia
Primary sponsor type
University
Name
Deakin University
Address
Country
Australia
Secondary sponsor category [1] 323829 0
None
Name [1] 323829 0
Address [1] 323829 0
Country [1] 323829 0
Other collaborator category [1] 283846 0
Charities/Societies/Foundations
Name [1] 283846 0
Parks and Leisure Australia
Address [1] 283846 0
Country [1] 283846 0
Australia
Other collaborator category [2] 283847 0
Commercial sector/Industry
Name [2] 283847 0
Nursery and Gardens Industry Victoria
Address [2] 283847 0
Country [2] 283847 0
Australia
Other collaborator category [3] 283848 0
Charities/Societies/Foundations
Name [3] 283848 0
Play Australia
Address [3] 283848 0
Country [3] 283848 0
Australia

Ethics approval
Ethics application status
Approved
Ethics committee name [1] 319656 0
Deakin University Human Research Ethics Committee (DUHREC)
Ethics committee address [1] 319656 0
Ethics committee country [1] 319656 0
Australia
Date submitted for ethics approval [1] 319656 0
10/10/2024
Approval date [1] 319656 0
30/10/2024
Ethics approval number [1] 319656 0
HE000136

Summary
Brief summary
Trial website
Trial related presentations / publications
Public notes

Contacts
Principal investigator
Name 148010 0
Prof Jenny Veitch
Address 148010 0
Deakin University, 221 Burwood Highway, Burwood, Victoria 3125
Country 148010 0
Australia
Phone 148010 0
+61 3 92517723
Fax 148010 0
Email 148010 0
[email protected]
Contact person for public queries
Name 148011 0
Jenny Veitch
Address 148011 0
Deakin University, 221 Burwood Highway, Burwood, Victoria 3125
Country 148011 0
Australia
Phone 148011 0
+61 3 92517723
Fax 148011 0
Email 148011 0
[email protected]
Contact person for scientific queries
Name 148012 0
Jenny Veitch
Address 148012 0
Deakin University, 221 Burwood Highway, Burwood, Victoria 3125
Country 148012 0
Australia
Phone 148012 0
+61 3 92517723
Fax 148012 0
Email 148012 0
[email protected]

Data sharing statement
Will the study consider sharing individual participant data?
No


What supporting documents are/will be available?

No Supporting Document Provided


Results publications and other study-related documents

Documents added manually
No documents have been uploaded by study researchers.

Documents added automatically
No additional documents have been identified.