Abstract:
This report brings together the findings of a comprehensive programme of work that IFS has led on the short- and medium-term impacts of Sure Start on children's outcomes. At the time this research started, there was little evidence on whether Sure Start had benefited children, especially beyond early childhood. Using a robust evaluation methodology and a suite of administrative datasets, this research produced estimates of the impact of having had access to a Sure Start centre between ages 0 and 4 on a wide range of outcomes, including educational attainment, hospitalisations, youth offending, special educational needs and interactions with children's social care. For most outcomes, we trace out impacts on outcomes from early childhood through adolescence, so well beyond when children were eligible to access the centre. This capstone report brings these results together and produces a comprehensive cost-benefit analysis of the programme.