12 May 202609:30–16:30
Collaborate to evaluate: TASO annual conference 2026
Woburn House, London WC1H 9HQ
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Join us at our annual conference – Collaborate to evaluate – 09:30–16:30 on Tuesday 12 May 2026, followed by a drinks reception.
The event will be held at Woburn House, London WC1H 9HQ,
We will be running an action packed one-day programme, filled with opportunities to learn from peers and experts.
Why attend?
- Be at the forefront of evaluation trends – Hear from peers about efforts to improve equality of opportunity and trends in evaluation across the sector.
- Learn from experts – Engage in sessions with evaluation experts to enhance your skills and get inspired about how your work fits into the bigger policy picture.
- Build your network – Connect with like-minded colleagues to spearhead the government’s new collaboration agenda and foster knowledge sharing.
Who should attend?
- Practitioners, managers, or heads responsible for developing access and participation plans.
- Evaluators working in higher education.
- Third-sector representatives interested in best-practice evaluation methods.
Agenda
The conference sessions include panel discussions, short talks, colleague presentations and a peer-led poster session, followed by a drinks reception at 16:30.
| Time | Session | Description | Speakers |
| 09:30 | Opening and welcome | Dr Omar Khan, CEO, TASO | |
| 09:45 | Improving equality of opportunity: the role of collaboration | Professor Chris Millward will discuss regional collaboration in light of the government’s recent post-16 education and skills white paper. What does best practice collaboration look like? And how can it support equality of opportunity in higher education? | Professor Chris Millward, Interim Director for Fair Access and Participation, Office for Students |
| 10:10 | How do we address the higher education postcode lottery? | As participation in higher education increases, regional inequalities in access remain the same. This panel will explore the need for renewed focus on collaborative strategies that target areas with the largest disadvantage gaps and longstanding cold spots.
Drawing on their experience and insights, the panellists will discuss how evaluation can support regional strategies and help reduce inequalities in access to higher education. |
Professor Graeme Atherton, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Regional Engagement, University of West London; Vice-Principal, Ruskin College, Oxford; and Director, World Access to Higher Education Network
Alex Proudfoot, Chief Executive, Independent Higher Education Dr Shaid Mahmood MBE, Chair, Association of Colleges; Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, Durham University Dr Kate Wicklow, Director of Policy and Strategy, GuildHE |
| 11:00 | Refreshment break and networking | ||
| 11:30 | Higher education sector paper presentations: pre-entry interventions | Sector representatives will present their evaluations, followed by a facilitated panel discussion with a TASO team member.
A randomised controlled trial of a multi-intervention outreach programme: what happened next? Lowering financial barriers to higher education: Evidence from the access-fee waiver Examining success for multi-touch point, pre-enrolment STEM programmes The impact of understanding your place: Hepp’s regional data dashboard |
Panel chaired by Dr Molly Rowlands, Research Manager, TASO
Professor Elisabeth Moores, Aston University Sirin Tangpornpaiboon, The Open University Sarah Dirrane, Imperial College London Tom Broom & Alex Bairstow, Higher Education Progression Partnership |
| 12:30 | Lunch break and networking | ||
| 13:20 | Higher education sector paper presentations: post-entry | Sector representatives will present their evaluations, followed by a facilitated panel discussion with a TASO team member.
Is everything ok? Success in using compassionate comms in nudge emails Empowering student success through assessment choice to reduce inequalities in attainment Journey of institutional assessment redesign and transformation: Implementation to evaluation Learning from evaluation failure but intervention success |
Panel chaired by Katherine Drew, Evaluation Officer, TASO
Eleanor Turpin, Nottingham Trent University Dr Jake Hinks and Vikki Potts, Wolverhampton University Shivani Wilson-Rochford & Dr Cain Clark Birmingham City University Professor Sonia Ilie, University of Cambridge |
| 14:20 | Peer-led poster session with refreshments | Posters will showcase evaluations addressing equality of opportunity in higher education. | |
| 15:20 | Collaboration in practice: risks and rewards | This session will focus on how collaboration works in practice. Hear from TASO and higher education providers that have collaborated effectively and what were the steps of putting that in place. | Panel chaired by Dr Omar Khan, CEO, TASO
Professor Paul Morgan, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Pedagogy and Practice), Buckinghamshire New University Leanne Taher-Bates, Head of Access Participation and Student Success, Liverpool John Moores University Dr Morag Duffin, Director of Student Success, The University of Law Jared Patel, Access and Participation Impact and Policy Manager, Loughborough University |
| 16:05 | In-conversation: collaborating with students | Professor Eunice Simmons, Vice Chancellor, University of Chester
Will Gaines President-elect, VP Student Life, Chester Students’ Union |
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| 16:20 | Reflections and close | Dr Omar Khan, CEO, TASO | |
| 16:30 | Drinks reception |
Short talks and poster presentations
Throughout the day there will short talks and poster presentations from attendees who have submitted their evaluations. These sessions are designed to support shared learning across the sector, creating a space to network, exchange insights, discuss challenges and reflect on what works – and what doesn’t.
Presentations will showcase planned, ongoing and completed evaluations addressing equality of opportunity in higher education. Short talks will run for 10–15 minutes, each with time for questions, and poster sessions will provide dedicated opportunities for informal engagement with presenters.
Date and time
- Date: 12 May 2026
- Time: 09:30–16:30, followed by drinks reception until 18:00
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Venue
- Location: Woburn House, London WC1H 9HQ.
How to find Woburn House
Woburn House is easily accessible from the following mainline and underground stations:
- Euston: 5 mins walk – served by Victoria and Northern line, London overground; National Rail
- Euston Square: 7 mins walk – served by Circle, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan line
- King’s Cross St. Pancras: 14 mins walk – served by Circle, Hammersmith & City, Metropolitan, Northern, Piccadilly and Victoria Line; National Rail
- Russell Square: 7 mins walk – served by Piccadilly line
Accommodation nearby
Hotels
- Ambassadors – 4* hotel, across the road
- Hilton Euston – 4* hotel, less than one-minute walk
- The Montague on the Gardens – nine-minute walk
- Premier Inn St Pancras – five-minute walk
- Morton Hotel – five-minute walk
Conference resources
TASO resources
- Mapping Outcomes and Activities Tools (MOAT)
- These tools map out a list of general items that fall within a theory of change. They are a ‘non-exhaustive’ list of items that you can put in your theory of change, and are designed to help you develop your theory of change. There are currently 3 MOATs: Pre-entry, Post-entry, and Attainment Raising.
- Theory of change
- A theory of change shows the parts of an intervention, the intended outcomes and impacts, and how the intervention is expected to bring about change. Creating a theory of change is the first step to planning an evaluation.
- Theory of Change Builder
- This free online tool resources offers a user-friendly experience which streamlines the process of building a theory of change and makes it easier to convert a Core Theory of Change to an Enhanced Theory of Change.
- Evidence toolkits
- Our evidence toolkits synthesise existing evidence that can inform the design of effective interventions and evaluations.
- Access and Success Questionnaire (ASQ)
- The ASQ provides a set of validated survey scales that the higher education sector can use to evaluate its access and student success activities. The scales cover a selection of key intermediate outcomes which are commonly measured in evaluations of access and success interventions.
- Higher Education Evaluation Library (HEEL)
- The HEEL will be an online, freely accessible, searchable database of evaluations focused on access, success and progression interventions.
- Insights and Evaluation Library
- This library allows you to explore our research, current projects, and resources designed to help you plan and deliver effective evaluations for your widening-participation interventions.
- Interactive technical guides
- Our guides, hosted on GitHub, empower TASO staff, partners and the broader higher education sector with the skills to create engaging charts and enhance code readability and shareability.
- Projects
- Explore our range of research and evaluation projects on topics ranging from summer schools and data analytics to small-cohort methodologies and what works to reduce the ethnicity degree-awarding gap.
Non-TASO resources
- BetterEvaluation Rainbow Evaluation Framework
- Provides a comprehensive framework for planning, managing and evaluating programmes across the evaluation cycle.
- HM Treasury (2020) The Magenta Book
- Sets out UK government guidance on evaluation design, including theory-based approaches and causal inferences.
- NPC Theory of Change in ten steps
- An accessible, introductory guide. Developed for the charity sector, but applicable more widely.
FAQs
What date is the event?
The conference will take place on Tuesday 12 May 2026
Where is the event?
Woburn House, 20-24 Tavistock Square, London, WC1H 9HQ
What time does the event start?
The conference will begin at 09:30. We recommend arriving from 09:00 to allow time for registration and networking. Doors will open at 09:00.
Is there parking available?
Woburn House does not have any dedicated parking. However, there are two disabled bays on the street adjacent to the building, which are non-reservable. There are also parking meters around the square but these require that the vehicle be moved every two hours. The nearest NCP car parks are in Eversholt St (which is just outside the congestion zone) and Woburn Place; both are only five-minute walk from Woburn House.
Is there public transport nearby?
Less than five minutes walk to Euston mainline railway station and less than 10 minutes walk to King’s Cross and St Pancras as well as Circle, Northern, Hammersmith and City, Metropolitan, Piccadilly, and Victoria TFL lines as well as a large number of London bus routes
What should I bring?
We recommend bringing a laptop and any materials you’d like to use for note-taking.
Will there be any resources provided for the sessions?
Yes, we will update attendees when session resources are available.
How do I register?
Registration is available via TicketTailor.
Can I register on the day?
No. Registration will close one week before the event.
Is group registration available?
No, we’re only accepting individual registrations.
Is there an early bird discount?
The early bird discount period has now ended.
What payment methods are accepted?
Payment can be made through the TicketTailor portal or by invoice.
Are there nearby hotels?
If you require accommodation please visit the Woburn House website.
What topics will be covered?
View the full agenda and session details.
Will session recordings or materials be shared after the event?
We have no plans to record sessions, but we will be sharing slides after the conference.
Is wifi available?
Yes, wifi will be available at the conference venue.
Is food provided?
Yes, we will be providing light refreshments in the morning, lunch, and refreshments throughout the day.
If you have any dietary requirements, please contact Alisha Collins (Senior Communications and Engagement Coordinator) at alisha.collins@taso.org.uk and we’ll do our best to accommodate.
Is the venue accessible?
Yes, the conference venue is fully wheelchair accessible.
Can I get a refund or transfer my ticket?
In registering for this event, you agree to the following terms: cancellations must be received in writing (to info@taso.org.uk) by Friday 3 April to qualify for a refund. We regret that no refund can be made for cancellations received after this time; however substitute delegates will be accepted at any time. If sending a substitute delegate please provide the registered delegate’s full name and the substitute delegate’s full name, job title, organisation, and email address to info@taso.org.uk.
Who should I contact if I have further questions?
If you have any further questions about the conference, please email Alisha Collins (Senior Communications and Engagement Coordinator) at alisha.collins@taso.org.uk.
In registering for this event, you agree to the following terms: Cancellations must be received in writing (to info@taso.org.uk) by Friday 3 April to qualify for a refund. We regret that no refund can be made for cancellations received after this time. However, substitute delegates will be accepted at any time. If sending a substitute delegate please provide the registered delegate’s full name and the substitute delegate’s full name, job title, organisation, and email address to info@taso.org.uk.