Terms of Reference Research & Evaluation Consultant or Consultancy Team
Position/Service Title: Research & Evaluation Consultant or Evaluation Consultancy Team
Project Name: Seenaryo Playkit
Location: Amman, Jordan and/or Beirut, Lebanon
1. About Seenaryo
Working in Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine and Syria, Seenaryo uses theatre and play to support mental health, shape futures, and drive social justice. Over ten years, Seenaryo has developed a unique and radically participatory approach to theatre and learning. What began in community spaces in 2015, has moved into classrooms, onto stages and toured to international festivals. Reaching over 205,000 people in the last decade, Seenaryo won the Digital Innovation of the Year - Learning prize at the 2025 PIEoneer Aw ards, the Resilience in Action Award at HundrED 2024, and the Arts, Culture & Heritage prize at the 2023 UK Charity Awards.
2. Project Objectives & Scope
Objective: The purpose of this consultancy is to generate high -quality evidence on the effectiveness of the Seenaryo Playkit and contribute to Seenaryo's growing evidence base on play -based learning and child development.
● Scope of Work: Design and Implementation of a Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) for the Seenaryo Playkit.
History and Background
The Seenaryo Playkit is a teacher training programme and bank of early learning play -based activities – games, songs, interactive stories and classroom management techniques – designed to strengthen children’s development and the capacity of their teachers .
It focuses on:
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Life skills: activities that build communication, collaboration, critical thinking and creativity.
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Wellbeing: activities that encourage children to express themselves and develop confidence in an inclusive and emotionally supportive way.
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Engagement: making learning participatory, accessible and enjoyable.
Developed in 2017 to support teachers in Lebanon amidst a worsening economic crisis and ongoing pressures from hosting Syrian refugees, in 2019 it was adapted to the Jordanian curriculum. In 2020 launched as a mobile phone application, and as of 2026, it h as reached over 100,000 children, with 95% of teachers reporting that integrating play -based learning has had positive outcomes for their students. To date, the Playkit has been evaluated through Seenaryo’s internally developed MEAL framework, which includes pre - and post -training surveys, focus group discussions, participatory workshops with children, and classroom observations. In addition, three ind ependent external evaluations have been conducted by the UCL Institute of Education, DARNA Research ApS, and an independent consultant who carried out our 10 -year longitudinal tracer study.
3. Deliverables & Key Milestones
Seenaryo is now seeking to scale the Playkit’s impact through working with the Lebanese and Jordanian ministries of education, working towards government adoption of our theatre and play -based
methodologies. During this critical scale phase, Seenaryo is seeking an experienced research and evaluation consultant or consultancy team to design and implement a rigorous Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) to assess the attributable impact of the Seenaryo Playkit programme in classrooms, in Jordan and Lebanon.
Suggested sample size (to be determined in conversation with consultant):
12 schools across Jordan and Lebanon
48 classrooms
48 teachers
Approximately 1,200 children aged 3 –8 years
Within participating schools, teachers and classrooms will be assigned to intervention and control groups to enable robust assessment of programme outcomes.
Deliverable 1: Review and Strengthen Existing Evaluation Tools
● Review Seenaryo's Theory of Change, Playkit evaluation framework, and existing monitoring and evaluation tools.
● Assess the suitability of existing tools for use within an RCT framework.
Identify opportunities to strengthen, adapt, validate, or replace existing tools.
● Recommend additional measures where required to improve the robustness and credibility of the evaluation.
Deliverable 2: Design the RCT Methodology
Develop a comprehensive evaluation design and research protocol.
Finalise research questions and outcome measures.
Develop sampling and randomisation procedures.
Conduct power calculations to determine the required sample size and ensure the study can reliably detect programme effects.
Develop ethical research protocols, consent procedures, and child safeguarding measures.
● Lead the ethics review process, including preparation and submission of all required documentation and obtaining ethics approval from an appropriate ethics review body.
Develop a detailed data management and statistical analysis plan.
Deliverable 3: Develop and Adapt Research Instruments
Adapt existing Playkit MEAL tools where appropriate.
Develop additional quantitative and qualitative tools as required.
● Ensure all tools are suitable for measuring outcomes related to Seenaryo’s Theory of Change and specific indicators listed in current Seenaryo grant cycles.
Deliverable 4: Lead RCT Implementation
Recruit, train and supervise enumerators as required.
Develop data collection protocols and quality assurance procedures.
Support implementation of baseline and endline data collection.
Conduct field visits to participating schools in Jordan and Lebanon as required.
● Monitor data quality and troubleshoot implementation challenges throughout the study.
Deliverable 5: Data Analysis and Evidence Generation
Analyse quantitative and qualitative data.
Estimate programme impact using appropriate RCT methodologies.
Assess outcomes at teacher, classroom, and child levels.
● Identify lessons learned and implications for programme improvement and scale -up.
Deliverable 6: Reporting and Dissemination
● Produce high -quality technical and donor -facing reports.
● Present findings to Seenaryo and key stakeholders.
● Provide recommendations for future programme development, scaling, and evidence generation.
The consultant will be expected to work collaboratively with Seenaryo throughout the process and ensure that all research activities are participatory, contextually appropriate, ethically sound, and feasible within the operating contexts of Jordan and Leba non.
The exact timeline and deliverables will be agreed with the selected consultant. As a guide, Seenaryo anticipates the following:
| Activity & Key Deliverable | IndicativeTimeline |
| Review of Theory of Change, existing Playkit MEAL tools and evaluationframework. Deliverable: Recommendations shared and changes appliedto existing tools. | Inception Phase |
| Development of RCT protocol, methodology, sampling strategy, ethicsframework, ethics review and statistical analysis plan. Deliverable:Approved RCT Protocol. | Early Project Phase |
| Adaptation and/or development of RCT specific evaluation tools.Deliverable: Finalised data collection toolkit. | Prior to Baseline |
| Enumerator training and baseline data collection. Deliverable: Baselinedataset and summary report. | Baseline |
| Ongoing technical oversight and quality assurance. Deliverable: Progressupdates and technical support. | Throughoutimplementation |
| Mid and/or endline data collection. Deliverable: Mid and/or endlinedataset and cleaned database. | Mid and/or endline |
| Data analysis and interpretation. Deliverable: Statistical analysis outputsand findings. | Post-Endline |
| Final reporting. Deliverable: Technical report, executive summary, andstakeholder presentation. | Final Phase |
4. Timeline & Logistics
Implementation Period: September 2026 - March 2028
● Total Number of Sessions/Days: To be determined
● Frequency: To be determined
● Location: Jordan and Lebanon
5. Requirements for Submission
The successful consultant or consultancy team should demonstrate:
● Minimum 7 years of professional experience in research, evaluation, or impact assessment.
● Proven experience designing and implementing Randomized Controlled Trials.
● Strong expertise in Early Childhood Development (ECD) and education research.
● Demonstrated knowledge of play -based learning approaches and experience evaluating play -based, child -centred, or social-emotional learning interventions.
● Demonstrated experience evaluating teacher professional development programmes.
● Experience measuring child development, wellbeing, socio -emotional learning, engagement, or related outcomes.
Experience adapting and validating research tools for diverse contexts.
Strong quantitative and qualitative research skills.
Advanced statistical analysis expertise.
Experience managing field -based data collection and enumerator teams.
Experience working in Jordan, Lebanon, or the wider Arab region.
● Experience conducting research involving children and applying ethical research standards.
Excellent report-writing and communication skills in English.
Arabic language skills are highly desirable.
● Interested candidates must be based in Amman or Beirut
6. How to Apply
Interested candidates (individual consultants or consultancy teams/firms) are requested to submit the following documents in separate files via Google Form :
Technical Proposal (maximum 5 pages, excluding annexes) including:
● Brief profile of the consultant, consultancy team, or firm, including relevant expertise and services offered.
● Understanding of the assignment and proposed approach to designing and implementing the Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT).
● Proposed methodology, including research design, sampling approach, data collection methods, and analysis plan.
● Proposed workplan and indicative timeline aligned with the project period.
● Team composition, roles, and level of effort for each team member (for consultancy teams/firms).
Description of previous relevant assignments, particularly in:
○ Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs)
○ Early Childhood Development (ECD) and education research
○ Play-based learning or child -centred interventions
○ Research involving children in humanitarian or development contexts
References (consolidated into one PDF):
At least two reference or recommendation letters from current or previous clients (e.g., NGOs, INGOs, academic institutions, government entities, or private sector organizations), or contact details for at least two professional references.
Financial Proposal (consolidated into one PDF) stating:
Detailed budget / price quotation for the consultancy services.
Daily or milestone -based consultancy rates.
Validity period of the financial offer.
Proposed payment schedule and terms.
Currency and bank/payment details.
● Any assumptions, exclusions, or additional cost considerations (e.g., travel, enumerators, field expenses).
Supporting Documents including:
Updated CV(s) / Portfolio(s) of the consultant or key team members.
Copy of National ID / Passport .
Financial Number / Tax Registration (where applicable).
Company registration documents (for firms/consultancies).
Deadline for Submission
All interested applicants must submit their complete technical and financial proposals no later than 9 August 2026 . Applications received after this deadline will not be considered.