City Year’s first year evaluation
An independent evaluation of City Year London has found that teachers, pupils and volunteers are highly positive about the difference City Year is making to schools and children.
The report by the Institute for Volunteering Research identifies a range of positive impacts, from academic performance, improved behaviour of children and school climate, to the confidence, skills and career aspirations of City Year volunteers.
The evaluation of City Year’s first year in schools found:
- City Year is the only coordinated opportunity for full time volunteering within English schools;
- City Year successfully attracts young people from diverse backgrounds, more diverse than the national picture of volunteering;
- City Year had a significant impact on academic learning and the confidence of pupils, with one-to-one tuition reported as particularly effective;
- Teachers valued the help and support in the classroom, highlighting the support to individual pupils and the day-to-day running of the class;
- Teachers reported a positive change in pupil behaviour, noting that ‘corps members’ had proactively enforced schools behaviour management policies. Enforcing a no-bullying culture was particularly noted;
- ‘Corps members’ helped pupils to feel safer at school, providing pupils with additional emotional support, highly valued by busy teachers. Pupils were enthusiastic about the fun and enjoyment City Year brought to school;
- Participation in City Year had a positive and significant impact on ‘corps members’, including increased confidence and development of new skills such as public speaking and leadership. Ninety three per cent of ‘corps members’ felt they had gained valuable skills that could be used outside City Year;
- City Year committed more than 35,000 hours of school based service, including more than 1,700 hours dedicated to one-to-one work with pupils and a further 2,635 hours to community projects.
Head of Research at the IVR, Joanna Stuart said:
“The evidence on the impact of City Year London in year one is very encouraging and the evaluation points to a wide range of positive effects on the pupils who ‘corps members’ work with. Pupils and teachers were highly positive about the difference ‘corps members’ had made to pupils academic learning, their confidence but also their behaviours and attitudes. The ‘corps members’ are positive role models and seen as people who are able to help and support pupils when needed.”
