Evaluating Creative Partnerships Presentation to the Cultural Competencies Conference, Warsaw, July 2011 Caroline Sharp, National Foundation for Educational Research, UK

NFER’s evaluation role National evaluation of Creative Partnerships 2004 – 2006 Longer term impact studies (2003 onwards) Results are based on around 400 schools and 61,000 pupils in each study. 2

Identifying the longer-term impact of Creative Partnerships 1. Identify participants 2. Request national data 3. Identify comparison group 4. Compare results for attainment and attendance 5. Construct statistical models 6. Interpret results 3

Attainment Analysis at 2 levels: School level: compared Creative Partnerships schools with other similar schools Pupil level: compared pupils who took part in Creative Partnerships activities with those who did not, in the same schools 4

Significant results at school level Dates Age 11Age 14Age 16 Measures 2003 & 2004 Average score, maths, science 2005 & : average score, English, maths, science 16: total GCSE, English, science 2007 & 2008 Total GCSE score 5

Significant results at pupil level Dates Age 11Age 14Age 16 Measures 2003 & : average score, English, maths, science 14: average score, English, maths, science 16: total GCSE, science 2005 & : average score, English, science 14: average score, English, maths, science 16: total GCSE, English, science 6

Size of the effect Pupils involved in Creative Partnerships made significantly better progress in attainment, especially at secondary school Effect sizes were relatively small (typically 0.10). The threshold for an ‘educationally significant’ effect is

Absence rates (2002-8) There were no overall differences between schools involved in Creative Partnerships and those not involved But there was a positive difference for primary schools which increased for schools involved in Creative Partnerships for several years 8

Primary School Absence Rates 9

Conclusion There is a pattern of statistically significant results favouring Creative Partnerships. The results suggest that pupils involved in Creative Partnerships activities made slightly greater progress in academic assessments at age 11, 14 and 16 Primary schools involved in Creative Partnerships for longer improved their rates of attendance 10

Further information For further information, see: creative-and-cultural-educationhttp:// creative-and-cultural-education Contact: 11