An Evaluation of the Ovalhouse Future Stages Programme Methodology and Impact
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1616-Taking-Risks-design-13:Layout 1 18/1/16 16:51 Page 1 Taking Risks An evaluation of the Ovalhouse Future Stages Programme methodology and impact Funded by the Paul Hamlyn Foundation Imogen Slater, Chrissie Tiller and Alison Rooke Centre for Urban and Community Research, Goldsmiths, University of London 1616-Taking-Risks-design-13:Layout 1 18/1/16 16:51 Page 2 Imogen Slater, Chrissie Tiller and Alison Rooke are affiliated to This report was funded by Acknowledgements We would like to acknowledge the generous support of the following Future Stages funders: Arts Council England Eleanor Rathbone Charitable Trust J. Paul Getty Charitable Trust KPMG Foundation London Borough of Lambeth Paul Hamlyn Foundation The Equitable Charitable Trust We would also like to acknowledge the work of both Gerald Koessl and Aylwyn Walsh whose input and expertise was invaluable to the evaluation. We would also like to thank the Ovalhouse team, staff and pupils at Kennington Park Academy and Summerhouse PRU, and the children, parents and carers attending Pick&Mix for their input and support. Finally we would like to thank the Paul Hamlyn Foundation for funding this report. 1616-Taking-Risks-design-13:Layout 1 18/1/16 16:51 Page 3 Contents Executive Summary (i) – (iii) 1 Introduction 1 2 Situating the Project in the Wider Context 3 2.1 The Creating Change Network 5 3 From Method to Methodology: The Ovalhouse Framework of Value 7 3.1 The Value of Values 8 3.2 Values and Evaluation 8 4 Delivering Future Stages 10 4.1 The Numbers: Achievement against targets 11 4.2 Training and Dissemination 13 4.3 Young People Reached 14 5 Evaluation Methodology and Approach 15 5.1 Developing the Future Stages Evaluation Framework 15 6 Findings: The difference the project has made 17 6.1 For Young People:‘Being taken on a journey’ 17 6.2 For Staff:‘Get into the circle’ 24 6.3 Partnerships and Organisational Learning:‘It’s such a beautiful fit’ 26 6.4 How Do You Teach These Skills? 29 6.5 Funders 31 7 Conclusions: Reflecting back and looking forward 32 7.1 Key Points 32 7.2 Evaluative Practice 35 7.3 Taking Practice Outwards: The future and the new Ovalhouse 35 8 Appendix 37 1616-Taking-Risks-design-13:Layout 1 18/1/16 16:51 Page 4 1616-Taking-Risks-design-13:Layout 1 18/1/16 16:51 Page i Taking Risks: Executive Summary Programme Future Stages is an arts intervention programme developed and delivered by Ovalhouse, funded by the Paul Hamlyn Foundation (from 2012 – 2015), KPMG Foundation and the Equitable Charitable in order to support young people deemed‘at risk’.Drawing on arts participation practice, underpinned by the theory of leading practitioners such as Augusto Boal and Dorothy Heathcote, the programme offers young people opportunities to develop the resilience and skills needed to break the cycle of deprivation and exclusion many of them face in their lives. Future Stages consists of a number of interlinked strands: the delivery of sessions with children and young people; partnership working with agencies including local authorities, schools and Pupil Referral Units (PRUs – schools specifically for children who are unable to attend a mainstream school); In Service Training (INSET – training focused on developing professional practice); and the establishment of the national Creating Change Network. Methodology The Ovalhouse creative methodology, based on its principles of equality and social justice, combines techniques of role-play, forum theatre, storytelling and physical theatre to engage young people emotionally, intellectually and imaginatively. This value-led approach is at the heart of everything Ovalhouse does as an organisation. For young people whose lives have often been subject to sanctions, exclusions and involuntary referrals, the opportunity to develop a sense of autonomy and freedom through participation in theatre-making proved pivotal. The drama workshops created a safe,‘parallel space’to the constraints often experienced in the institutions they have been placed in and, in doing so, allowed them to begin to exercise agency, explore their own values and discover possible solutions: ‘’A* had huge behavioural difficulties but found it very easy to take on roles. It was good for us [teaching staff] to see this particular strength and it offered him something to hang his self-esteem on” As the programme developed, Ovalhouse practitioners recognised the importance of engaging the young people with the process through regular‘interviews’.Not only did this encourage further self- reflection and a sharing of aspirations but it constantly fed back into the creation and shaping of the programme. This was matched by a series of INSETs with the staff at partner institutions in order to ensure this way of working became embedded in the young people’s wider learning environment. These INSETs have been a major part of the relationship building and have contributed significantly to the wider impact of the programme. Key Outcomes Young people Over three years Future Stages worked with a total of 61 young people over 164 sessions, surpassing the programme’s original targets. This is indicative not only of the effectiveness of the delivery, but also the real demand for the work. Extra sessions were added to enable young people to take part in the national Arts Award scheme (14 completed this) and other extra-curricular activities including i 1616-Taking-Risks-design-13:Layout 1 18/1/16 16:51 Page ii intergenerational events and theatre visits. These broadened the young people’s cultural experience. Some of the most notable behavioural changes in the participating young people were increased focus, generosity, teamwork, resilience, emotional awareness and confidence. The evaluation designed an engagement matrix which charted individual progress from a baseline in key areas including self awareness, emotional literacy, social skills, and sense of responsibility. Staff, practitioners and the young people themselves were aware of changes and progress over time and the impact of this. As one teacher explained, “they became much better at vocalising, drama is such an important resource, of acting out and understanding how others might think”.Another reflected how the young people in her class had become “far more co-operative and communicative with each other and more able to support each other”as a result of the programme, remarking that it had not only helped prepare them for transition to mainstream secondary school but “for life more generally”. Culturally the programme had most noticeable effect on the school with which it worked for the duration of the programme, giving staff “the opportunity to behave differently with the young people”.This was the result of relationship building over time and predicated on trust and recognition of each other’s different areas of expertise. Having worked in two primary age PRU units in Lambeth and Southwark in the first year, it became clear that shared values and a common approach to learning with partners was essential to achieve real impact, as was consistent presence and participation of staff and young people. While the sessions continued with one PRU, Ovalhouse took the strategic decision to design an open access project to reach a wider demographic of young people at risk. This aspect of the project had its own challenges, in terms of attendance and formal educational support, but it also enabled the team to explore ways in which the methodology can be delivered to a wider cohort. Organisations and Partnerships The partnerships developed through Future Stages and the organisational interaction that this involved offered rich opportunities for learning, for school staff and practitioners as well as their organisations. Ovalhouse staff have undertaken Arts Award training as well as learning‘de-escalation’ techniques and the safe handling of children through the ‘Team Teach’ programme, which offers training in positive handling strategies for environments where challenging behaviours are present. INSETs were offered to Ovalhouse staff, HE students, arts and non-arts professionals as well as partner schools, in order to: • Embed the learning to create legacy • Disseminate the learning to a wider range of practitioners working across sectors. A total of 22 INSET sessions were run with staff from partner schools and other institutions, engaging 389 people over the three-year period. They have been extremely successful, well received and there is interest in extending this offer more widely. Creating Change Network The Creating Change Network’s first meeting took place in June 2013. Since then it has a growing national membership (currently 210 associate members) and a wide range of regional and national activities including advocacy, sharing resources and developing practice through training. In December 2014 it hosted its first highly successful conference, Creating Links, which gathered many of those at the forefront of research and delivery in this field of work. ii 1616-Taking-Risks-design-13:Layout 1 18/1/16 16:51 Page iii Looking Forward As part of an on-going body of work at Ovalhouse, Future Stages has consolidated much of the thinking of both staff and practitioners; in particular the commitment to reflective practice. Work with one PRU is continuing beyond the funding peroid, with the school allocating budget for ongoing delivery from its Pupil Premium income. This is a real testament to the value and success of Future Stages, especially the role participatory theatre practice can play in not only releasing young people’s imaginations but giving them safe creative space in which to express themselves, develop life skills and experience achievement; this opportunity is critical given the economic, social and educational disadvantages faced by the young people the programme has engaged. The Creating Change Network will clearly play an important role in facilitating the sharing of this high quality practice that is underpinned by the ethics and values that are at the core of Ovalhouse’s work.