Sarah Compton
Research Assistant
Profile
Biography
Sarah is a Research Assistant and PhD student based in the Department of Health Sciences at the University of York. Sarah is part of the Family Wellbeing Team in the Public Health and Society Research Group, where she is involved in the Best Start topic of the NIHR Yorkshire Applied Research Collaboration. Currently she is working on the Tree Babies project, a qualitative evaluation of a nature-based group aimed at improving the wellbeing of parents and carers of babies and young children.
Sarah’s PhD examines the factors underpinning the link between fuel poverty and child mental health, exploring strategies to mitigate their impact. By addressing critical gaps, including how children experience fuel poverty and its mental health effects, her research aims to provide evidence to shape policies and practices that tackle health inequalities. Combining both quantitative and qualitative approaches, she is particularly interested in employing creative research methods to enable co-production with young people.
Previously Sarah has worked as a Quantitative Research Assistant and Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement (PPIE) Coordinator on the NIHR ARC National Priority Consortium in Health and Care Inequalities funded Evaluation of the Mental Health Navigator Scheme. Sarah has also worked in the Department of Education and has been involved with other projects including randomised controlled trials, systematic reviews and exploratory studies, all with a focus on improving outcomes for children in health and education. Prior to her work in research, Sarah spent time as a community organiser in the North East of England.
Qualifications
- MSc Psychology in Education – University of York
- MA Social Research Methods – University of York
Research
Overview
Sarah’s research focuses on socioeconomic inequalities in health and education, particularly during the early years of childhood. She is especially interested in the intersection of health and housing, with a focus on the experiences of families and children. Her work emphasises child social emotional wellbeing and its influence on health and educational outcomes. Sarah employs mixed methods, integrating both quantitative and qualitative approaches. She has experience developing logic models for complex interventions and is passionate about using creative methodologies and co-production practices in her research.
Projects
Describing and evaluating the Tree Babies intervention
Research group(s)
Publications
Selected publications
Bennett, J., Dunlop, L., Atkinson, L., Compton, S., Glasspoole-Bird, H., Lubben, F., Reiss, M. and Turkenburg, M.G.W., 2023. A systematic review of approaches to primary science teaching. Education Endowment Foundation
Tracey, L., Bowyer-Crane, C., Bonetti, S., Nielsen, D., D’Apice, K. & Compton, S. (2022) The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on children’s socio-emotional wellbeing and attainment during the Reception Year. Research Report. Education Endowment Foundation
