Our mission is to nurture creativity in every child everywhere and shape a thriving society. By embedding creative learning throughout primary education, we improve wellbeing, boost academic attainment, impact attendance and foster brighter futures for children. But how do we know this?

Every year, we partner with Pro Bono Economics to assess the socio-emotional and economic benefits of our work. Following the successful outcomes of our previous evaluations, the latest analysis for the 2023-24 academic year further reinforces the transformative power of learning creatively – and sheds light on how we can do even more to ensure equitable outcomes for all.

Key reflections from 2023-24

The 2023-24 evaluation builds on previous findings, reinforcing insights into how Artis impacts children. Here’s what the data continues to reveal:

1. Children with higher needs benefit the most

When it comes to wellbeing, the picture changes dramatically when we focus on children with elevated initial difficulties. These are the children who demonstrated significant improvements in wellbeing by the end of one-year with Artis every week.

This finding is consistent with our previous studies, reaffirming that our approach to creative learning – experiencing the curriculum through music, drama and movement – is particularly effective for children who face the greatest challenges.

2. Significantly lower starting level of difficulties

Given that we’re now tracking how long children have been working with Artis, we can see that those children that have experienced Artis in previous years have a significantly lower starting level of difficulties than those that have not.

3. Economic benefits remain remarkably strong

The lifetime benefits of Artis’ programmes extend far beyond the classroom:

• Up to £8,654 in lifetime benefits per child with elevated needs:
  • This includes higher earnings for individuals, and reduced public spending on truancy, crime, mental health support and smoking.
• This is the equivalent of lifetime benefits of up to £2,300 for the average child experiencing Artis. With a cost of just £72 per child per year, the return on investment remains an impressive £32 for every £1 invested. 

“Understanding impact is a marathon, not a sprint”

Whilst working with us, Jon Franklin, Chief Economist at Pro Bono Economics, has made a strong emphasis on the longer journey of measuring impact. We are in our fifth year now of data gathering linked to our in-person programme. Once we have five years of data, we are keen to carry out a more meaningful analysis of certain variables we have been tracking alongside wellbeing – related to free school meals, gender and ethnicity. We will then have surpassed our marathon and be on track for the long distance!

We’re committed to using these insights to provide wider access to our creative learning programmes and ensuring that every child, no matter their starting point, has the opportunity to thrive. With this in mind, 2024/25 if our first year of collecting socio-emotional data from the first cohort of children experiencing Artis online in their classrooms every week, and we’re looking forward to reporting on those outcomes next year.

Why learning creatively matters more than ever

Children’s wellbeing in the UK is in crisis. Young people here report the lowest life satisfaction in Europe, and the latest PISA data (2022) ranks the UK 70th out of 73 countries for young people’s wellbeing. The need for creative learning has therefore never been greater. Our latest data reinforces what we’ve always known: the arts perform at school, and they do so in ways that create lasting benefits for individuals, communities, and society.

Explore our impact

Curious about the difference Artis could make at your school? Get in touch with us today! If you’re interested in supporting us to reach even more children and schools then why not use our impact calculator to see the potential outcomes of investing in creative learning.