Boomsatsuma, Bristol’s leading creative education provider, has published its ‘Measuring What Matters’ report, a deep dive into how its distinctive approach enables young people to flourish academically, emotionally, and personally.
Boomsatsuma has impressive recent performance metrics, with the organisation seeing a 100% student pass rate over the last five years and a 95% course completion rate, far surpassing the UK national completion average of 67%, highlighting the provider’s impact on young people across the region and beyond. But Boomsatsuma has always been about much more than just grade. It aims to prove that that education can be more than exams and grades, and can be a transformative experience that equips young people with the confidence, skills, and mindset to flourish in the creative industries and beyond.
The report written by Dr Perry Walters and Dr Dave Bainton reflects a year of collaboration with Boomsatsuma and was commissioned to better understand the conditions that were allowing students to thrive beyond traditional educational metrics. Drs Walters & Bainton used their ‘ASPIRE’ framework to understand how students and staff practices and organizational conditions were impacting on students. Refined during recent University of Bristol funded research projects with two South Bristol schools, The neuro-informed ASPIRE framework takes recent advances in understanding of the adolescent brain and adolescent development to outline how educators might work positively “within the grain” of adolescent development. The adolescent drive to lean into new experiences, to seek autonomy, to explore their sense of purpose and engage their passion and emotions can all be positively engaged with to enable learning and personal and professional transformation.
The research used a qualitative approach, capturing authentic voices through interviews and focus groups with 33 participants, including students and staff. The findings revealed that Boomsatsuma’s model is deeply rooted in real-world industry connections. Students work on live briefs, collaborate with professionals, and deliver projects for actual clients, building portfolios that lead directly to employment. As one film student explained, “We learn within the actual industry, not just reading about it.” With campuses embedded in Bristol’s creative hubs - Portland Square, The Tobacco Factory, Bottle Yard Studios and Leadworks, learners are immersed in the city’s cultural ecosystem and often contribute to socially conscious projects, from environmental campaigns to justice - themed initiatives.
Beyond technical skills, the report highlights profound personal transformation. Students describe becoming more authentic, confident, and capable, supported by an environment where emotional safety and trust are paramount. “In secondary school I didn’t feel safe being gay… Here, you’re just you,” shared one student. Another reflected, “I forgot I had dyslexia because it was never an issue.” Staff play deeply caring roles that extend beyond academics, offering emotional and practical support, while small class sizes and bespoke timetables ensure no one is left behind.
Boomsatsuma’s learning ecosystem fosters creativity and collaboration through team-teaching, high staff ratios, and adaptive pedagogy. Teachers with industry backgrounds provide credible mentorship, and students and staff co-create a culture of trust and empowerment. “They don’t judge—they’ll say, ‘let’s fix this’, instead of ‘you’ve failed’,” said one learner.
Inclusivity is central to Boomsatsuma’s ethos, particularly for neurodiverse students. Flexible programmes and alternative assessments meet individual needs, enabling learners with ADHD, Autism, and trauma histories to engage fully and build self- worth. “Encouragement to unmask is anxiety-reducing for everyone,” noted a member of the support team. Authenticity is celebrated, creating a space where every student feels valued.
The report concludes that Boomsatsuma nurtures dispositions essential for success in life and work, resilience, creativity, agency, autonomy, collaboration, and empathy within an environment characterised by trust, belonging, and responsibility. One former student summed up the impact: “Boomsatsuma made me realise I could be both creative and confident. It rewired my self-belief.”
Mark Curtis, CEO & Founder of Boomsatsuma, said; “This report validates what we’ve always believed, that education should be about more than grades; it should be about unlocking potential. At Boomsatsuma, we’ve created an environment where young people feel safe to be themselves, take creative risks, and connect directly with the industries they aspire to join.
“Hearing students say things like ‘Boomsatsuma made me realise I could be both creative and confident’ is incredibly powerful. It shows that our approach which is rooted in real-world experience, inclusivity, and care is having a real impact. We’re proud to serve learners from all backgrounds, including those who’ve felt underserved elsewhere, and to see them flourish academically, emotionally, and personally.”
Leaders, teachers and support staff found the ASPIRE framework a useful and meaningful lens to view adolescent learning. Dr. Lee Scott, the head of HE at Boomsatsuma commented, ‘’ASPIRE has been a really helpful tool for supporting the personal development of our undergraduate students”. Tim Holmes, professional development lead at Boomsatsuma noted that ‘‘Measuring What Matters’ has moved us into further thinking about how we continue to create the conditions for young people to learn’’.
Looking ahead, the report lays out plans of developing tools to track growth in these learning dispositions, maintaining cultural integrity during expansion, and using Boomsatsuma’s model to create new inclusive centres across the region.