Existing research suggests that improving pupils' non-cognitive skills such as motivation, resilience and self-regulation, boosts their academic achievement. Children from disadvantaged backgrounds tend to have weaker non-cognitive skills than their better-off peers, so improving these could help to narrow the performance gap by social class and raise academic attainment. 'How to Thrive', based in Hertfordshire County Council, have developed an intervention using the Penn Resilience Programme. The project is supported by the London School of Economics, with Lord Richard Layard providing expert input. With funding from the Education, Endowment Foundation, NIESR is evaluating the programme, which is being implemented in secondary schools across London and the South East.