Southern Universities Network
RESEARCH & EVALUATION
Evaluation is key to the Uni Connect Programme, with one of the key aims of the programme being to contribute to a stronger evidence base around ‘what works’ in higher education outreach and strengthen evaluation practice across the sector.
In Phase 1 and 2, the SUN also conducted research in collaboration with our partner HEIs, as well as conducting our own on the interventions we have delivered to both schools and colleges.
We have collated the research reports, our latest evaluation, as well as the evaluation reports that the OfS have commissioned in the academic years listed below.
We have also provided copies of our current evaluation framework and progression framework. If you have any questions or want to discuss anything you read here further, please do get in touch.
At the end of 2016, Southern Universities Network commissioned two research projects which sought to examine the disadvantage experienced by white working class males in relation to their progression into higher education.
The pre-entry study, undertaken by ARC Network and co-ordinated by Southampton Solent University, explored the perceptions, barriers and enablers to HE progression from the perspective of white working class learners in schools and colleges across the city of Southampton. Post-entry research, undertaken by the University of Portsmouth, explored the participation of white working class men within an institutional context, with a particular focus on examining higher education entry and aspirations of current HE learners.
The study offers a unique understanding of white working class males across the both pre and post entry phase and it is hoped that the research will support SUN members in planning and developing both institutional and collaborative widening participation programmes, including Uni Connect (formerly the National Collaborative Outreach Programme).
These studies also support work undertaken across the country by organisations such as OFFA .
The SUN Young Researchers our a group made up of 15 students, aged 14-18 from across the south coast. The SUN asked them to help with a critical piece of youth led participatory research across Hampshire and Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole with the support of the Participation People (participationpeople.com).
In 2019- 2020 they researched the topic of barriers and enablers to education. Funded by Southern Universities Network & Delivered by Participation People
The SUN Young Researchers our a group made up of 15 students, aged 14-18 from across the south coast. The SUN asked them to help with a critical piece of youth led participatory research across Hampshire and Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole with the support of the Participation People (participationpeople.com).
From 2019-20 Dorset and SUN Young Researchers conducted research into young people’s Barriers to Education in Dorset, Bournemouth, Christchurch, Poole and Hampshire. Following the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent lock-down, the young researchers wanted to see what affect the pandemic had on young people in Dorset and Hampshire, accessing the education and opportunities they wanted to.
The aim of this research was to investigate the factors which affect the likelihood of a learner from a disadvantaged background making a technical apprenticeship their career choice. This stemmed from previous research by two of the authors which had found that there were a low number of engineering apprentices from disadvantaged backgrounds enrolled at a local south coast college. Given recent governmental reforms of careers advice and guidance, the research was particularly interested in careers advice and guidance from the perspective of target learners and how this may impact upon apprenticeship progression.
Created by SUN in collaboration with Bournemouth University.
This research aims to identify the true barriers that some young people (aged 14-19 years of age) perceive and experience which prevents their progression to higher education. The young people and parents for the pilot come from two of the 70 electoral target wards across Hampshire.
The primary data for the research was a qualitative method using Appreciative Inquiry (AI) based on the work of Cooperrider and Srivastva (1987). This method was selected because it was important to have an approach that would encourage all individuals to have a voice and, enable complexities to be identified and discussed from all their perspectives.
Created by SUN in collaboration with Solent University.
The SUN Young Researchers our a group made up of 15 students, aged 14-18 from across the south coast. The SUN asked them to help with a critical piece of youth led participatory research across Hampshire and Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole with the support of the Participation People (participationpeople.com).
The SUN Young Champions were challenged to explore what young people knew about Technical Qualifications and T-Levels and what schools and education providers were doing to promote them. The SUN Young Champions contacted schools and colleges to find out their awareness, perceptions and opinions of T-Levels. Their survey reached 1,070 young people aged 11- 18 and 202 educational professionals. This report outlines headline findings and provides suggestions on how to support young people discover the benefits of technical qualifications.
The SUN Young Researchers our a group made up of 15 students, aged 14-18 from across the south coast. The SUN asked them to help with a critical piece of youth led participatory research across Hampshire and Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole with the support of the Participation People (participationpeople.com).
In June 2021 – November 2021, 31 young people, aged 12 – 19, honed their research and facilitation skills as Southern Universities Network (SUN) Young Champions.
The Young Champions were challenged to explore how access to the internet affects young peoples learning.
They looked at how young people get online and why and when they need to. Young people were asked about barriers to digital engagement.
The expansion of SUN’s remit now includes schools in the North Dorset area who are currently not receiving any outreach provision from pre- existing University outreach nor SUN. The purpose of this research was to make contact with identified schools in North Dorset, to understand their existing careers/ HE outreach provision, challenges in delivering a programme of activities, gaps in provision, and to provide recommendations to SUN.
Created by SUN in collaboration with Bournemouth University.
This research was conducted to investigate the decision-making process of Uni Connect learners, in terms of their choices for post-college endeavours. It was conducted to better understand the lived experience of these individuals over the final year of their college course.
Created by SUN in collaboration with University of Portsmouth, Havant & South Downs College & Peter Symonds College.
SUN have published the findings from the CFE survey completed by students from schools within the SUN region. The CFE provide national evaluation of the Uni Connect Programme. The data is linked to
tracking and national administrative data to understand the impact of the Uni Connect programme has on learners attitudes to HE and progression.As a whole, this provides insight to what activities work well within the Uni Connect Programme and what is considered to be effective outreach.
The Uni Connect 2022-23 data snapshot presents data from the OfS monitoring reports and tracking reports, covering the academic year August 2022 to July 2023.
The OfS Uni Connect programme brings together 29 partnerships of universities, colleges, and other local partners to offer activities, information, advice and guidance on the benefits and realities of going to university or college. The programme aims to ensure that access to higher education is not limited by background and is targeted at areas where learners are less likely to go to higher education.
The SUN provided funding to Xxxxx Community School to support attainment raising activities in English and maths:
- Tutoring: 12 weeks of tutoring (8 staff delivering 1 hour per week over 12 weeks across English and maths)
- Intensives: full day sessions 9 days for English and 6 days for maths
The school’s aim was to raise attainment of Year 11 students in English and maths, as students underperformed in these areas and to improve their confidence, motivation, and engagement. The SUN had worked with Xxxxx Community School in the past as one of top priority target schools with high number of Uni Connect learners to support them with Small Project Fund projects and numerous events and therefore had established strong working relationship with the school.
The Project 5 programme, delivered in partnership with Twenty Twenty Learning, aimed to raise attainment and strengthen student confidence, motivation, and engagement in GCSE English Language and maths. The intervention consisted of intensive, five-day subject-specific workshops delivered to small groups of Year 10 and Year 11 students across two schools: The Portsmouth Academy and Bitterne Park School. In total, 42 learners participated, 41 of whom were Uni Connect students.
As part of the degree apprenticeship funding available from the OfS , the University of Portsmouth were successful in a bid within the Wave 2 applications for creating degree apprenticeship programmes in the disciplines of; Diagnostic Radiography, Nursing and Paramedic Science. As part of the bid, the Southern Universities Network (SUN) devised a programme to support the promotion and understanding of these programmes for all schools and colleges within the SUN region (Hampshire, Dorset and the Isle of Wight).
The programme was split into fours areas:
· Pre-16 workshops
· Post- 16 workshops
· CPD for teachers
· Resources on degree apprenticeships for students.
The key aims for the workshops with students were:
· Explore what an apprenticeship is and what’s involved
· Identify the advantages of being an apprentice and dispel some of the myths
· Recognise the finer details of apprenticeships; including levels, routes and support available
· Understand how to research and apply for an apprenticeship
The Empower Programme uses a strength-based approach to help develop boy’s self-efficacy, emotional literacy and motivation. We provide a supportive environment for boys to engage in open discussions, use their voice and listen to the views of others. Also facilitating their voice to be heard beyond the classroom. We also support boys to explore their own identities and develop a healthy understanding of masculinity. In addition, the programme offers opportunities and support for schools to build upon the themes of the workshops.
The programme is split into two 2-hour workshops, delivered 2-3 weeks apart. In the first session the workshop explores:
- · Recognise and developing their skills.
- · What motivates them and the barriers they face as young people and young men.
- · Asking the students to reflect on the role school and education plays in their future.
The second session explores:
- · Looking at the risks and the risk of inaction.
- · Looking at how they can use visualisation techniques.
- · Making an informed choice.
This report outlines the outcomes and insights from a targeted literacy programme delivered across a cluster of four schools, involving 23 individual staff members. The online Literacy for Learning CPD programme was developed in partnership between the National Literacy Trust (NLT) and the Southern Universities Network (SUN). It focused on developing the teaching of literacy in secondary schools to improve outcomes for students and build a sustainable literacy community of practice for teachers.
Spanning two academic years (April 2024–January 2025), the programme’s structure enabled participating staff to build and apply literacy knowledge progressively. The core training sessions focused on disciplinary literacy and building vocabulary and culminated in a practitioner-led showcase in January 2025. Park Community School reported significant improvements in student vocabulary use and increased confidence in reading strategies in Humanities subjects, with plans to extend these strategies into Maths and Science, demonstrating the programme’s ongoing reach and adaptability.
SUN
SUN have published the findings from the CFE survey completed by students from schools within the SUN region. The CFE provide national evaluation of the Uni Connect Programme. The data is linked to
tracking and national administrative data to understand the impact of the Uni Connect programme has on learners attitudes to HE and progression.
As a whole, this provides insight to what activities work well within the Uni Connect Programme and what is considered to be effective outreach.
Resources & Tools
The resources and tools here are for use across the SUN partnership. They provide you with further details on our evaluation strategy along with evaluation tools to use in your activity planning.
Monitoring, Evaluation & the Progression Framework
The SUN Evaluation team work collaboratively with the other 28 Uni Connect Partnerships, with TASO as well as the Higher Education Access Tracker.