Ipsos | Uni Connect Phase 3 : Attainment-raising Activity – Final Report
11 on the wider context and ambitions for higher education involvement in pre-16 attainment-raising activities . This provided a better understanding of how the activities planned and delivered by Uni Connect partnerships fit within the wider landscape of activities and the extent to which partnerships have tapped into available resources relating to the evidence base and potential metrics for success . We also hosted a workshop with partnership leads on 6th March 2024 to review the initial findings from the interviews and provide an opportunity for discussion and feedback , offering further context and explanation . The workshop was also an opportunity to inform the next stage of the data collection ( see Figure 1.1 ) and secure buy-in to support with case study selection .
In Stage 3 , we conducted case studies with six partnerships in April / May 2024 , which involved 28 interviews with internal and external delivery staff , HEP staff and school staff . Insight from delivery partners facilitated a more detailed understanding and allowed for a broader range of perspectives to be considered . Case studies were selected based on agreed criteria , ensuring variety in the funding size and intended scale of delivery across partnerships . The focus of these in-depth interviews was to explore the views and experiences of different stakeholders regarding delivery progress , including :
▪ Their experience of planning and / or piloting the attainment-raising activities , focussing on how partners and other organisations ( e . g . schools ) were involved . This also included how partnerships deviated from and adapted original plans as required for school environments .
▪ Progress with delivery , with a particular focus on reflections of engaging and delivering within schools . This also examined respective facilitators and barriers for different types of attainmentraising ’ activities .
▪ Their perceptions on local partner infrastructure and collaboration , and the extent to which this enables collaborative pre-16 attainment-raising activity more widely . The range of stakeholders interviewed allowed for a broad range of opinions , particularly to further understand schools ’ and HEPs ’ perceptions of collaboration .
▪ Their approach and experience of monitoring and evaluating attainment-raising activities , particularly focussing on facilitators and barriers when working with schools to complete this and any examples of knowledge-sharing best practice across partnerships and / or partners .
We also conducted a survey of schools in May 2024 that generated 95 responses across 24 partnerships . The survey added breadth to our existing data collection methods by capturing views from a larger number of schools , extending reach beyond the case study sample . This was deemed particularly important as the attainment-raising strand placed different demands on school staff compared with previous Uni Connect engagement . The survey consisted of mostly closed question options with four open-ended questions . It sought to focus on capturing views on attainment-raising activities that had been delivered to date , focussing on satisfaction , perceived effectiveness and any lessons learned .
Following data collection , all findings were analysed and triangulated to answer the evaluation objectives specified . Finally , we hosted a second workshop on 19th June 2024 to review our Stage 3 findings with the partnership leads . The workshop involved exploring experiences of monitoring and evaluation as it developed throughout the academic year , and also capturing partnerships ’ overall reflections on the successes and challenges of this new strand in the context of funding changes .
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 .