Evidence toolkit

Our toolkit summarises the existing evidence on approaches to widening participation and student success for disadvantaged and underrepresented groups. The evidence is presented by types of interventions.

Click through for detail on the efficacy and evidence of interventions.
Find out how approaches have been categorised on our ratings page.
We’ll be updating our toolkit as new evidence is produced. If you have evidence to share, please get in touch.

Order by:

Raising attainment through school governance and teacher training (pre-entry)

School governance and teacher training are sometimes used as mechanisms to improve the attainment of school-age pupils. Partnerships between schools and higher education providers are typically formed through university sponsorship of schools, professional development opportunities for teachers, and placing university staff as governors of schools.
- Attainment raising (pre-entry)
- Progression to HE
- Progression to own institution
- Skills development
- Pre-entry to HE
- Cost
  
  High cost
- Impact on aspirations / attitudes
  
  More evidence needed
- Impact on behaviour / outcomes
  
  More evidence needed
- Strength of evidence
  
  Weak evidence
Financial support (post-entry)

Financial support includes grants, bursaries, scholarships and fee-waivers. When offered after entry to higher education, it is designed to help students succeed on-course by alleviating the financial costs of studying.
- Completion
- Progression to own institution
- Wellbeing
- Post-entry to HE
- Cost
  
  High cost
- Impact on aspirations / attitudes
  
  Small positive impact
- Impact on behaviour / outcomes
  
  Small positive impact
- Strength of evidence
  
  Emerging evidence

Order by:

Evidence interventions

Raising attainment through school governance and teacher training (pre-entry)

Cost

Impact on aspirations / attitudes

Impact on behaviour / outcomes

Strength of evidence

Financial support (post-entry)

Cost

Impact on aspirations / attitudes

Impact on behaviour / outcomes

Strength of evidence