Evaluation Title

Summer Arts Colleges 2008: Outcomes Report

Type of evaluation

Data type Qualitative and Quantitative

Evaluation Focus Engagement, Literacy and numeracy, Progression Routes, Reducing offending

Key indicators Engagement, Literacy skills, Offending rates, Progression Routes

Project output Arts Award

Methodologies Asset analysis, Attendance registers, Data analysis

Summary of evaluation

An independent report on the 2008 Summer Arts Colleges intitiative focusing on reducing re-offending, increasing educational engagement, improving literacy and numeracy skills and ETE progression routes.

Project description

Summer Arts Colleges are a major initiative of the strategic partnership between the Youth Justice Board and Arts Council England. Summer Arts Colleges are an intensive six-week programme intended for high risk young people, particularly those on Intensive Supervision and Surveillance Programmes (ISSPs) and recently released from custody. Each Summer Arts College is a partnership between Youth Offending Teams (YOTs), arts organisations and literacy and numeracy practitioners. The 25-hour week has an arts based curriculum in which literacy and numeracy skills are embedded. All young people work towards the nationally recognised Arts Award.

Summer Arts Colleges objectives are:
• Reduce levels of (re)offending during the Summer Arts College and in the following months
• Increase educational engagement and facilitate transition into mainstream education, training and employment after the Summer Arts College
• Improve literacy and numeracy skills through the arts and to achieve an accreditation through the Arts Award
• Explore routes into employment and careers within the arts and creative industries.


 

Key Quote

Generally, it was found that long-term participation on the Summer Arts College brought about a significant reduction in the offending rate in the weeks on and after the programme.

Some of the most positive outcomes were seen in the young peoples’ increased engagement in education, training or employment following participation in the Summer Arts College.


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