NCS Trust (National Citizen Service), The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (DofE) and the Centre for Young Lives (CfYL) have partnered to explore the evidence linking participation in enrichment activities to improved academic attendance, amidst a rise in persistent absenteeism among young people.
The commission will look to review and summarise evidence on the relationship between participation in enrichment and school attendance. Beyond the evidence review, the research will also draw on best practice case studies through school visits and observation, and interviews with educators from across the UK.
CfYL will be working with YMCA George Williams College and the Carnegie School of Education at Leeds Beckett University on the research project. YMCA George Williams College will convene a youth advisory panel to guide the project’s research design, implementation and final findings. Leeds Beckett’s role focuses on investigating how enrichment activities are currently being used to re-engage young people in education across the UK.
The findings from this research will play a crucial role in addressing the ongoing school attendance crisis, providing insights that will help guide young people and key stakeholders in developing effective strategies to use enrichment activities to re-engage students in their learning.