The impact of Sure Start on school performance

Justine Schneider, University of Durham, with Alan Ramsay and Shelagh Lowerson, Education, Durham

County Council on behalf of

Durham University Centre for Applied Social Research Sure Start Research Team

Aims of the analysis

• To investigate whether Sure Start made any difference when a child started school.

• To do this, we had to allow for differences in:– Age– Gender– Social backgrounds

Methods

• We compared Sure Start ‘graduates’ to their classmates who did not use the local programme, but were eligible to do so.

• We controlled for age, gender and social background (IMD) using multiple linear regression analysis.

• In this way we explored the impact of Sure Start use on Flying Start summary scores.

IMD scores (high = more disadvantaged)

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Area 1 Area 2 Area 3 Area 4 Allareas

User

Control

*** ***

Flying Start scales

Significance level of correlation between score and IMD

Speaking and listeningWriting ***Reading ***Language and literacy subject total **Using and applying **Number ***Mathematics subject total **IndependenceRelationshipsPersonal & social development totalStatutory assessment total **Non-statutory assessment total *

Flying Start scores 1

Area 1

02468

101214

Speak

ing

and

liste

ning

Writ

ing

Readi

ng

Lang

uage

and

litera

cy s

u...

Using

and a

pplyi

ng

Numbe

r

Mat

hemat

ics s

ubje

ct to

tal

Inde

pende

nce

Relat

ionsh

ips

Perso

nal a

nd so

cial d

ev...

User

Control

*

Flying Start scores 2

** **

*

Area 2

02468

10121416

User

Control

** **

*

Four areas compared (1)

Statutory assessment totals

05

10152025303540

1 2 3 4

Sure Start

Control

*

Four areas compared (2)

Non-statutory assessment totals

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

1 2 3 4

Sure Start

Control

*

Implications

• We found that we also had to look at the differences associated with coming from certain areas/programmes.

Sure Start inputs

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

0 1-10 11-20 21-30 31-40 41-50 51-60 61-70 71-80 81-90 91-100

Number of attendances

Nu

mb

er o

f fam

ilies

Sure Start targets

• ised – Improving social and emotional development

• ih – improving health

• ial – improving ability to learn

• sfc – strengthening families and communities

Child’s attendance

ised ih ial sfc

Ante-natal clinic X X

Bookstart X

Christmas party X

Parent & toddler group X

Mother’s attendance

ised ih ial sfc

Smoking cessation X

Post-natal visits X

Computer literacy X

Toy library X

Sure Start inputs for 125 families

Target of activities Mean Sum

Child Improving social & emotional development 2.95 366

Improving health 3.11 386

Improving ability to learn 7.56 938

Strengthening families and communities 1.16 144

Mother Improving social & emotional development 1.64 203

Improving health 4.52 561

Improving ability to learn 1.24 154

Strengthening families and communities 2.22 275

Findings 1

• Age, gender, the index of social disadvantage for the ward in which the child lives and the Sure Start area from which they come all affected the summary scores on Flying Start assessments.

Findings 2

• Children from some areas did worse at school, which could be due to selection into programmes of children with special needs.

• Thus, comparisons of average outcomes for intervention versus control groups across the four areas are not valid; progress over time at the level of the individual would be a better measure.

Findings 3

• Controlling for age, gender, area and IMD, mothers’ participation in education and community activities through Sure Start predicted higher ‘statutory’ scores for their children (language and literature, numeracy and personal and social development).

Findings 4

• Again controlling for key variables, children’s use of Sure Start’s creative and social facilities was associated with higher ‘non-statutory’ scores (knowledge and understanding of the world, physical and creative development).

Caveats

• Teachers rate Flying Start, which could introduce some bias.

• Robust measurement of inputs relies on programmes using the database.

• Missing cases make the results less reliable.

Conclusion

• These findings lend support to a positive impact from Sure Start.

Acknowledgements

• The researchers wish to thank the programme staff who supplied data for these analyses.

• The analyses would not have been possible without the assistance of DCC Education Performance review section.