In Harmony Evaluation 2018-19

The In Harmony Theory of Change model (2012) listed expected positive outcomes relating to wellbeing, attainment and attendance at school, improved relationships, raised parental aspirations and ability to support children, increased parental engagement in school and sense of community, and development of musical skills. These were evidenced to greater or lesser extents by the NFER evaluation 2013-16. Those aspects most clearly evidenced were wellbeing, development of skills for learning, parental engagement and musical skills. (There was no clear evidence of impact on attainment at whole school level, using 2013 to 2015 SATs results.)

ACE proposes an evaluation approach for 2018-20 which is cumulative to the NFER evaluation 2013-16, and the Hallam/Burns research 2017/18 which focussed on musical progression. We are seeking further evidence of the particular features of In Harmony programmes which contribute to positive outcomes, to inform future development beyond current funding which ends in March 2020.

We would also like to examine outputs from a small selection of other instrumental programmes to better understand the impact of In Harmony. The budget for this work is £50,000 and we are aiming for completion of the work by September 2019.