Supplementary written evidence submitted by Children’s University

 

Following an initial submission of written evidence and oral evidence given to the Committee by Helen O’Donnell, this document contains further evidence which we hope will be of interest and use.

For ease of reference, information below is in lettered paragraphs, under the following numbered headings:

 

  1. Impact of participation in sports and cultural activities on attainment

A look at Children’s University and attainment in Sheffield and an overview of EEF’s findings on attainment and participation

 

  1. Impact of participation in sports and cultural activities on broader social impact outcomes

Family engagement, arts and culture, confidence and social skills

 

  1. Links to the curriculum

Using sports to link to literacy: a Quidditch case study

 

  1. Transition from Primary to Secondary School

SHINE and Children’s University bridging the KS2 – 3 leap

 

  1. Professional Aspirations and quotes from children

A look at wider connections between Children’s University and raising familial aspirations with a focus on Blackburn

 

  1. Barriers to Participation and Inequality of Access and Outcomes

NatCen findings relating to barriers to participation in the arts and how this is illustrated with case studies from Children’s University in the North East

 

  1. The impact of EBacc and the squeezing out of Arts subjects

A brief look at the impact we’ve seen on arts and extracurricular engagement since the introduction of the EBacc

 

 

  1. Impact of participation in sports and cultural activities on attainment

 

    1. Through both independent evaluations of Children’s University and evaluations carried out by our partners in the CU Trust network, we know and can clearly demonstrate the impact that sustained participation has on education attainment. The Education Endowment Foundation’s Randomised Control Trial of Children’s University which for two years involved over 2,500 children in 68 schools across clear areas of disadvantage such as Middlesbrough, Lancashire, Blackburn and Darwen and Blackpool showed that ongoing participation in Children’s University can improve children’s academic and non-cognitive outcomes in school and improve their attainment and overall educational performance. Funded by the Cabinet Office to test whether these sorts of extra-curricular activities could help improve pupils’ attainment and other attitudes such as confidence, motivation and team-working, the positive findings of the study added to the growing evidence that these activities promote improved outcomes and that there is inequality of access with children from disadvantaged backgrounds less likely to participate.

 

    1. Looking more closely at specific place-based data, the evidence from Sheffield Children’s University is stark when looking particularly at the positive impact on attainment on disadvantaged children.

 

    1. Primary Pupils - In 2017 across Sheffield more than 57% of the 2,190 year 6 pupils defined as disadvantaged (i.e. they are eligible for Free School Meals, in receipt of Pupil Premium funding or they are classed as Looked After Children) have gained Children’s University credits.

 

    1. Those disadvantaged pupils at Children’s University award levels (in other words they have completed 30 hours or more of a multiplicity of extra-curricular activity) consistently outperformed not only non-Children’s University pupils but also the Sheffield average when measured against expected standard measures in Writing, Maths and Reading. In addition, Gold award disadvantaged pupils (those that have completed over 100 hours of activity) bettered the Sheffield average for disadvantaged pupils by 14%, bringing them in line with the Sheffield average for all pupils.

 

    1. More than 50% of SEND pupils in the city also have Children’s University credits. In 2017 these children improved on the performance of their non-Children’s University counterparts by over 5% and on the city average by 3%. Again, those SEND pupils receiving Gold awards, outperformed others by nearly 10%.

 

    1. In the city year 6 pupils who live in the bottom 30% of Lower Super Output areas – those classed as IDACI (Index of Deprivation Affecting Children Index) also performed well in 2017. Of pupils with over 200 hours of Children’s University activity, 63% achieved expected standards in Writing, Maths and Reading (more than 13% higher than the city average) and 2% higher than the national average for ALL pupils.

 

    1. For Secondary Pupils based in the North East of the city (the most deprived neighbourhoods where both attainment and aspiration are traditionally low), based on a benchmark of Grade 5 or above in Maths and English at GCSE in 2017, the results were:

 

 

 

  1. Impact of participation in sports and cultural activities on broader social impact outcomes

 

  1. At Children’s University we often talk about one of the key outcomes for participating in Children’s University being the ability to cope with new faces in new spaces and new places. In addition, our participating children, parents and schools cite the most positive outcomes as:

 

 

  1. This is supported by hard evidence from the EEF Randomised Control Trial which showed the positive impact of Children’s University on the life skills often neglected in the curriculum in favour of academia such as:

 

 

  1. The trial also demonstrated small improvements in teamwork, social responsibility and aspirations among the Children’s University participants backing up initial evidence that well supported enrichment activities can improve both children’s academic and non-cognitive outcomes.

 

  1. When the EEF RCT evaluation report was published at the back end of 2017 it coincided with the publication of our own study (conducted with the University of the First Age) which asked Children’s University participants themselves what they believed to be the impact of the activities on them as individuals and their schools. In response:

 

 

  1. This study was carried out with 20 children in years 5 and 6 in 2 disadvantaged schools in Birmingham. All the children faced significant barriers to attainment and aspiration.

 

  1. We also know from reports such as the Time to Listen report from the Arts Council (Part of TALE, Tracing Arts Learning and Engagement) that engagement in arts and culture activities in particular:

 

 

  1. These findings are mirrored by those following Croydon Children’s University’s recent Creative Arts Workshops engaging children in a broad range of creative arts and providing access to local professional artists. In conjunction with the Other Foundation (which uses the creative world to support local communities and to show how powerful arts can be for children, young people and families in expression, education and enjoyment), Croydon Children’s University ran 8 workshops for 22 children aged 5-10 from 4 schools involving 7 professional artists. Outcomes:

 

 

 

  1. Links to the curriculum

 

  1. Extra-curricular activities can play an important role in linking back to the national curriculum thus enhancing formal classroom learning but in a fun and enjoyable way.

 

  1. Enrich Education, our Children’s University partner in Halton, Salford, St Helens, Trafford and Knowsley is the official education partner of Quidditch UK and the Quidditch premier League. In the last year they have run 52 school Quidditch events engaging over 8,000 pupils across the North West of England and have 90 further events planned across the UK by July 2019.

 

  1. They say “Quidditch is engaging ALL pupils and getting them active, particularly the young people that may not be enthused by more traditional sports. Teachers cite countless cross-curricular links, particularly with literacy and the opportunity this presents in encouraging young people to read.”

 

  1. From one Knowsley teacher: “We are always looking for innovative and creative ways to engage children in sports, especially when using Sports Premium funding and this experience has done that.”

 

  1. Quidditch events are now leading to the development of formal programmes of support for cross-curricular links and as a driver for mental as well as physical health and well-being and resilience.

 

 

  1. Transition from Primary to Secondary School

 

  1. As part of our work with schools over our 10-year history we have become increasingly aware of how Children’s University can assist in enabling a smooth transition from primary to secondary school enabling secondary school teachers to get to know new Year 7 pupils before they join, find out what they’re interested in, what they enjoy doing and then using that information to help think about any extra support any pupil may need or the activities they might want to engage in when they start school. This issue has now been recognised by a number of different organisations including SHINE, which is currently funding a 3 year project with Children’s University to test how the programme impacts on this transition stage and how it can positively support children who are high attaining in SATs in Year 6, to settle in well to Secondary school and continue to be high attaining as they progress through KS3 and KS4. This project is now the flagship project within SHINE’s Flying High funding programme. The project will result in a replicable model which can be rolled out across the UK to all Children’s University schools.

 

  1. The development of Children’s University’s new digital tool will also enable participating schools to see a dashboard of categorised activity attendance and the associated non-cognitive skills developed by attending and will assist year 7 teachers target engagement of new pupils in extra-curricular activity according to their existing interests.

 

  1. Professional Aspirations

 

  1. EEF’s evaluation of Children’s University also found that children participating in Children’s University for at least 2 years are more likely to select professional occupations as their future aspiration than those not participating, however Children’s University is not only about raising the aspirations of the individual but also the learner’s family and local community. Several Further Education Colleges/University Centres and Higher Education Institutions partner with Children’s University because of the wider impact it can have on parents and grandparents as second chance learners and on siblings. Two mothers of participants in Blackburn Children’s University are now studying for degrees at Blackburn College University Centre which works closely with the local Children’s University Manager to provide not only learning experiences but also to host celebratory and inspirational graduations. This, they cite, is a direct result of seeing their children achieve through Children’s University and graduate at the College. In places like Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire Children’s University (run in partnership with North Lindsay College) recognises that many parents of primary aged children taking part in Children’s University will be inspired to consider a second chance at learning due to the college’s involvement in providing inspirational and aspirational extra-curricular activities for their children.

 

  1. Children at Blackburn Children’s University have their own take on the broader social impact of taking part in sporting and cultural activities and spoke about the impact of these activities on them to an audience of parents, teachers and civic dignitaries at their summer graduation at the College. This demonstrates the development of confidence from attending such activities.

 

  1. Aaliyah, Year 6, said of Children’s University:

 

  1. Omar, Year 6 said Children’s University activities: “replaced the usual routine with an active and fun school life” Omar participated in after-school clubs including basketball, rounders and cricket which “helped me stay active and away from video games”

 

  1. Omar also did Creative Club, Harry Potter, William Shakespeare and Makey Makey activities at Blackburn College, University Centre, outside school which: “developed my knowledge and confidence”

 

  1. He also won a Public Speaking Cluster Competition, took part in Coding Club at Blackburn Library, Splash Swimming Academy and the local Ice-Skating Academy, which he says: “All channelled my road to a brighter future”

 

  1. Shamaila, Year 6, talked of “boosting my confidence and doing things I never thought I would” like:

 

  1. She also talked of the “constant laughter and chatter and surge of adrenaline that rushed through me when I tried something new”.

 

  1. Barriers to Participation and Inequality of Access and Outcomes

 

  1. One of the greatest social impacts of participation in these activities however is the divisions these continue to grow in society. According to Nuffield Foundation funded Nat Cen Social Research in 2016, based on the Millennium Cohort Study there is unequal access to these activities and therefore participation in them leads to a continuation and reinforcement of social differences. The Nat Cen studies show that taking part in physical activities is strongly related to the level of education of the child’s mother with 85% of children with mothers at postgraduate education level doing weekly sport reducing to 80% at undergraduate level and 56% to mothers with no formal education qualification. The study also showed that those children classed as participating in busy and highly structured activities in the study were over 50% from stable, full-time working families. 89% had not experienced poverty at any time point. 70% had mothers educated to degree level and 73% had a parent in a professional or managerial position.

 

  1. Further Nat Cen Social Research looked at who attends after school clubs and found that while at age 11 there is an equal split between more affluent and disadvantaged children but at age 7 only 16% of disadvantaged 7-year-olds attend compared to 23% of more affluent children. Participation in ‘other clubs’ outside school at age 7 is associated with higher attainment at age 11. Compared with disadvantaged children who NEVER attended after school club, those who attended at 5, 7 and 11 or at 11 having started later had significantly higher point scores on average in KS2 attainment.

 

  1. These studies also showed that there is inequality between the value placed on or accessibility of activities relating to sport in comparison to music:

 

 

  1. Nat Cen Social Research cited the following as barriers to attending these activities outside school compared to in school as:

 

 

  1. This is reflected by feedback from Middlesbrough Children’s University following an organised and financially subsidised visit to Beamish Museum for low-income families in the summer. Middlesbrough geographically is very limited in terms of local cultural activities in the area. As such attendance requires travel and very few Children’s University families in the area have access to transport. The cost of transport and entrance fees to places like Beamish Museum are simply prohibitive but there are other more deep-seated and attitudinal barriers.

 

  1. Findings from the post-visit evaluation showed:

 

  1. The impact of EBacc and the squeezing out of Arts subjects

 

  1. The introduction of EBacc in 2010 and the decision to make EBacc subjects compulsory in 2015 has meant the prioritisation of STEM at the expense of other subjects. With English, Maths, Humanities, Science and Modern Languages brought to the fore as core subjects the arts and creative subjects have effectively been downgraded in secondary schools. Add this to the other barriers to participation of secondary schools in arts/cultural activities such as:

 

 

  1. And engagement in programmes such as Children’s University at secondary level declines to the point where children leaving primary school who have sustained participation over several years suddenly find themselves unable to continue to be celebrated and recognised for their engagement and the skills, they are developing outside school hours. The EEF evaluation of Children’s University highlighted as a significant barrier to the success of Children’s University in some schools as the pressure to meet performance targets

 

  1. There is a real need to counter negative perceptions of sport and the arts and the softer skills these can develop and the misunderstanding that surrounds the value of these subjects and associated extra-curricular activities.

 

December 2018