Youth club closures led to increased offending and worse GCSE results, IFS says

A report has suggested that the closure of youth clubs during the 2010s led to an increase in offending and poorer GCSE results.

The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) research indicated that the impact on educational outcomes was even more severe for pupils entitled to free school meals.

The IFS working paper revealed that around 30% of youth clubs in London closed between 2010 and 2019 due to cuts in local authority funding. The study compared offending rates and exam results among teenagers living in areas where all local youth clubs within a 40-minute walk had closed, with those whose nearest youth club remained open.

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The research concluded that teenagers whose nearest youth club had closed performed worse in school. Young people in London who lost access to a nearby youth club saw a decline in their GCSE exams by roughly half a grade in one subject.

Test scores fell even more for pupils from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, who performed roughly more than a grade worse in one subject. The IFS paper also found that those who lost access to a youth club were 14% more likely to engage in criminal activity in the six years following closure.

The offending rate - the proportion of residents aged 10 to 17 who commit a crime each year - increased from 14 per 1,000 to 16 per 1,000.

Carmen Villa, a PhD student at the University of Warwick and enrichment student at the IFS, has highlighted the crucial role of youth clubs in her recent report, stating: "Youth clubs provide support to teenagers that goes beyond recreation, offering mentorship, structured activities such as sports and music, and a safe space for socialising – resources many teens cannot find elsewhere."

She further noted the popularity of these clubs among young people: "Teens like and use these clubs: in 2009, 40% of Londoners aged between 11 and 16 attended at least once a week."

However, Villa pointed out the negative impact of austerity measures: "But public spending cuts in the 2010s led to the closure of 30% of youth clubs in London, and this research shows that this directly led to increased offending and worse GCSE outcomes, especially among those from lower socio-economic backgrounds."

Pepe Di’Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, echoed these concerns, commenting on the wider effects of funding cuts: "Youth clubs can play an important role in supporting development and providing a safe space outside of school, and the major cuts to local authority funding over the last decade have been hugely damaging for children and young people."

He also lamented the loss of other vital community services: "Funding cuts have led to the closure of community centres and Sure Start Children’s Centres, as well as youth clubs, and reduced the capacity of local services to support attendance, mental health and children with special educational needs."

Arooj Shah, chair of the Local Government Association's Children and Young People Board, commented: "Youth services provide essential support to young people, providing them with a safe place, trusted relationships, attracting them away from being drawn into negative situations and reducing demand for acute services as a consequence."

She further noted the difficulties councils face due to budget cuts, saying: "Councils have a statutory duty to provide educational and recreational leisure-time activities for young people, yet these services are facing significant challenges for a number of years due to reductions in funding from central government and an increase in demand for child protection services."

Shah also mentioned engagement with the government on financial matters: "The LGA has been engaging with Government on the Young Futures programme. Sufficient investment into youth services and youth work will enable councils to support the delivery of the Government’s priorities."