Ipsos | Uni Connect Phase 3 : Attainment-raising Activity – Final Report
10 programme 1 . This recognised a number of assumptions underpinning the Theory of Change that we sought to explore in this evaluation . These included :
▪ There is an evidence base on attainment-raising that is accessible to partnerships .
▪ Partnerships are able to broker relationships between HEPs and schools / colleges .
▪ Partnerships have the capacity and expertise to develop a high quality attainment-raising offer .
▪ Partnerships are able to source attainment-raising provision / interventions that are applicable , impactful and informed by identified needs .
▪ Local partners collaborate with partnerships on delivery of Uni Connect interventions .
▪ Uni Connect interventions deliver intermediate outcomes for learners , which contribute to improved attainment and / or more informed choices .
▪ Improved educational attainment contributes to increased participation in higher education ( for those who reach the required level for higher education ).
▪ Assessment of need / targeting within each area is based on up-to-date data and insights .
▪ Interventions are impartial and delivered by people with the right skills and expertise .
As part of Stage 2 , we conducted in-depth interviews with all 29 partnership leads in February 2024 . The focus of these interviews was the following :
▪ The nature and types of attainment-raising activities planned for 2023-24 , including how evidence and theory have been used to develop plans , which partners have been involved , who the activities will target ( e . g . under-represented groups ), and the intended scale of delivery .
▪ Progress and anticipated progress towards the intended attainment-raising activities , including the role of HEPs .
▪ What has worked well and less well in the planning , design and early delivery of attainment-raising activities , including key enablers and barriers , resultant lessons learned and any unintended outcomes .
▪ Approaches to monitoring and evaluation , including how partnerships are monitoring their delivery of attainment-raising activities and measuring whether it has been successful .
▪ Effectiveness of local partnership infrastructure and governance in enabling and facilitating collaborative activity across the sector with regards to attainment-raising activities .
Alongside interviews with partnerships , we conducted four interviews with key stakeholders . Stakeholders included representatives from the OfS , Transforming Access and Student Outcomes in Higher Education ( TASO ), and Higher Education Attainment Tracker ( HEAT ). These interviews focused
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Formative Evaluation of Uni Connect Phase Three : Final Report ( March 2023 ). Available at : https :// www . officeforstudents . org . uk / media / 8220 / formative-evaluation-of-uni-connect-phase-three-final-report . pdf
20-048464 | FINAL | Public | This work was carried out in accordance with the requirements of the international quality standard for Market Research , ISO 20252 , and with the Ipsos MORI Terms and Conditions which can be found at http :// www . ipsos-mori . com / terms .