Phase 1 Impact Report 2019

Phase 1 Impact Report 2019

Contents Page Hello Future in Phase 1 .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1,2 Phase 1 Success . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Our Target Wards & Schools/Colleges . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Learner Need Progression Pyramid . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Theory of Change . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Hello Future Aims and Objectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Hello Future Progression Pathway . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 Evaluation In Phase 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 Meeting Target Learners From Our Wards . . . . . . . .10 Intervention Format Rationales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 Intervention Levels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Workshops and Presentations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 West Cumbria - Delivering Outreach . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Carlisle and Eden - Delivering Outreach . . . . . . . . . 16 Furness - Delivering Outreach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Mentoring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Mentoring Impact Objectives & Methodology . . . . . . 21 Year 10 Sample Breakdown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Key Insights | Year 10 Learner Case Studies . . . . . . .23 Key Insights | Year 10 Pre-Mentoring . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Key Insights | Year 10 Post-Mentoring . . . . . . . . . . .25 Key Insights | Year 10 Pre and Post-Mentoring . . . . . 26 Key Insights | Pre and Post-Mentoring Impact . . . . . .27 Key Insights | Satisfaction and Improvements . . . . . 28 Key Benefits & Recommendations . . . . . . . . . . . . .29

Cultural Trips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 A spotlight on‌BBC Media City and Uni. of Salford . . 31 Summer Residential 2018 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Summer Residential 2018 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Summer Residential 2019 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Summer Residential 2019 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Evaluating Post-Summer Residential Event 2019 . 36-37 Young Researchers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Community Experiences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Working with Carlisle Youth Zone . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40 Aspatria Photography Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 Recycling With The Arts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42 Jodrell Bank Discovery Centre . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43-44 Write It Out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45 Write, Record, Release. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46 #CreateYourself . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47

Evaluation - Online CEIAG Platforms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48-49 CEIAG Platforms - Learner Impact . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50-51 Online CEIAG Platforms - Gatsby Benchmarks . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Research Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53-54 Projects Delivered By Our Partners and Schools/Colleges . . . . . 55 Phase 2 Evaluation Aspiration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

Hello Future in Phase 1

1

Hello Future is made up of universities, colleges, the Cumbria Local Enterprise Partnership/Cumbria Careers Hub, Cumbria County Council, the NHS, and employers working together to improve Higher Education (H.E.) progression rates within Cumbria. This impact report showcases the range of collaborative projects that have been co-designed and delivered for young people in Cumbria through the programme. Hello Future commenced in January 2017 as one of 29 partnerships set up under the National Collaborative Outreach Programme (NCOP, since renamed ‘Uni Connect’) with the aim of increasing the progression into H.E. of young people in England.

Funding totalling £2.8 million was awarded for Phase 1 (January 2017 to July 2019). Further funding of £1.9 million will be released over the course of Phase 2 (August 2019 to July 2021). The programme is focused on those wards where participation in H.E. has shown to be particularly low overall and lower than expected given Key Stage 4 attainment levels. Since the summer of 2017 Hello Future has been delivering a progressive, intensive, and sustained programme of outreach activity to 24 Cumbrian wards that meet these criteria.

Target Wards West Cumbria          

Aspatria Clifton Distington Frizington Mirehouse Moorclose Moss Bay Sandwith Silloth St Michael's

Furness      

Barrow Island Central Hindpool Holborn Hill Risedale Walney North

Carlisle & Eden Botcherby Currock Denton Holme Harraby Longtown & Rockcliffe  Morton  Penrith Pategill  Upperby     

The Hello Future programme is focused on supporting young people in Years 9 – 13 who live in the identified wards and have, or are on track, to achieve Key Stage 4 grades which would allow them to progress to H.E. The programme includes a range of workshops, assembly presentations, residentials, mentoring and cultural experiences designed to build confidence and resilience of the young people as well as providing impartial practical support and information, advice and guidance about Higher Education.

Hello Future in Phase 1

2

The Hello Future programme was created using a range of feedback from partners and other stakeholders such as teachers, advisors and the young people themselves. A Theory of Change was developed and all intervention activities offered via the Hello Future programme were mapped to our aims and objectives. This ensures clear alignment against Gatsby Benchmarks used by schools and colleges, the Learner Need Progression Pyramid, Learner Intervention Outcomes and our Evaluation Method. The partnership recognises that ‘progression to H.E.’ includes access to any substantive Level 4 programme (including apprenticeships) and therefore activity offered includes information on different routes and options into H.E. Hello Future also recognises the importance of working with young people’s key influencers and has worked simultaneously with parents, carers, teachers and advisors through a range of activities as well as providing resources and guidance on the Hello Future website.

Building on the success and learning from phase one, in phase two Hello Future will deliver the two main strands of Uni Connect activity:  Targeted H.E. outreach within the local areas where we can have the most impact (the Hello Future programme)  Creation of a Cumbria-wide ‘outreach hub’ to help all schools and colleges access the H.E. outreach they need and provide a platform for wider collaboration Whilst reduced, the funding for Phase 2 will enable continued delivery of the Hello Future programme in schools, colleges and the community as well as streamlining wider opportunities that support a young person’s progression. This will be achieved by seeking to identify all the opportunities available within the county and provide support and signposting to facilitate access. This support will be available to all schools, colleges and wards within Cumbria.

This report describes a range of our innovative projects, research and impact. Many of these projects aim to support regional priorities and higher level skill development across Cumbria. We hope that by sharing our work, we will enhance further opportunities for young people and inspire, inform and support their progression into H.E.

Phase 1 Success

3

Our Target Wards & Corresponding Schools/Colleges

Carlisle & Eden

Caldew Newman Richard Rose Morton Richard Rose Central Trinity William Howard Queen Elizabeth Grammar Newton Rigg College Carlisle College Ullswater Community College

Furness

Chetwynde Dowdales Millom School Furness Academy St Bernard’s Ulverston Victoria Walney Furness College

West Cumbria

Beacon Hill Solway Nelson Thomlinson Workington Academy St Joseph’s Whitehaven Academy St Benedict’s West Lakes Keswick Cockermouth Energy Coast UTC Lakes College

4

Learner Need Progression Pyramid Offering a sustained, intensive and progressive programme of activity to students in Years 9-13 and their influencers, the Hello Future programme is designed to broaden and raise aspirations and support progression to Level 4 study and beyond. The programme has been developed with feedback from learners, teachers, advisors, parents and carers and is delivered in both educational settings and in the community.

Based on this feedback, Hello Future created the Learner Need Progression Pyramid which represents the needs of Cumbrian learners. The base identifies the needs of learners entering the programme at Year 9 and moves up through Key Stage 4 and Key Stage 5 until progression to H.E. The pyramid shape represents the move from the more general to the specific needs as a learner journeys through education.

Transition

Practical Support and Guidance

Understand and Upskill

Ideation

5

Learner Need: To be able to apply ideas, knowledge and skills to F.E., H.E. and work-based learning and environments.

How to Meet Need: Create opportunities to experience F.E., H.E. and work-based learning/environment, including. interactions with F.E., H.E., alumni and visits.

Learner Need: To develop self-awareness and understand self-management tools. To be equipped to access support and guidance.

How to Meet Need: Provision of resources and information (applying to university and apprenticeships, wider lifestyle, citizenship and student voice).

Learner Need: To understand available options, e.g. F.E., H.E. and work-based learning routes, institutions/organisations and courses. Opportunity to self-reflect.

How to Meet Need: Opportunities created for capability building in [1] communication, [2] confidence and [3] resilience.

Learner Need: To introduce future choices and create, support and develop learner ideas.

How to Meet Need: Opportunities created to [1] provoke interest, [2] produce encounters, [3] begin engagement, [4] generate excitement and [5] raise aspiration.

Theory of Change INPUT

4 years of OfS funding.

RESOURCES

Consortia investment.

Staff (Roles and Experience).

Positionality (impartial and flexible).

Tracking system – HEAT.

6 Contracts for national formative and impact evaluation.

Physical Infrastructure Virtual and printed resources.

External resources.

OfS investment.

CAPACITY BUILDING

Stakeholders: Learners, parents and carers, teachers, Hello Future & Outreach Hub staff and partners.

- National evaluation partner (CFE).

- Uni Connect connections and contacts.

- Best practice and resource sharing.

Hello Future Aims to:

 Reduce the gap in higher education participation between the most and least represented groups.  Support Cumbrian young people to make well-informed decisions about their future education.  Support effective and impactful local collaboration between higher education providers working together with schools, colleges, employers and other partners from across Cumbria and Lancashire.  Contribute to a stronger evidence base around ‘what works’ in higher education outreach and strengthen evaluation practice in the sector.

Targeted Outreach (Hello Future) Objectives 1. To meet the aims we will provide impartial, sustained and progressive higher education outreach that is tailored to the needs of young people in Cumbria target areas.

2. To increase the number of opportunities for target learners, teachers/advisors, parents/carers and community groups to access and understand the value of higher level qualifications and higher education.

3. To engage over 20% of the total target Cumbrian young people (each academic year) in the Hello Future programme intervention activities.

4. To increase the number of learners engaged in three or more intervention activities as outlined in the progression framework from Phase 1 to Phase 2.

5. To embed Hello Future intervention activities into school and college higher education access provision beyond 2021.

Outreach Hub Objectives 1. To map existing H.E. outreach opportunities in Cumbria to identify gaps in provision.

2. To collaborate with partners and stakeholders to support local needs (skill gaps and opportunities) and localised approaches to HE outreach.

7

Evaluation Objectives

These objectives apply to both the Targeted Outreach and the Outreach Hub.

1. To engage with evaluation at both a local level and nationally. To provide timely, accurate and accessible findings that contribute to a stronger (local and national) evidence base on ‘what works’ and is value for money in H.E. outreach.

3. To develop a mechanism through which school/college teachers and advisors (and therefore learners) have improved access to the range of existing outreach activities available to them in Cumbria and Lancashire.

2. To seek the opinions of learners and their influencers (parents/carers, teachers/advisors, community groups) consistently across Hello Future intervention activities to strengthen local evaluation practice in widening participation and understand impact.

4. To actively signpost school/college teachers and advisors to the range of existing outreach activities available to them in Cumbria and Lancashire.

3. To increase partnership knowledge and understanding of conducting purposeful data collection and analysis and how to implement within practices.

5. To support schools and colleges to meet Impact Measure 7 (Encounters with Further and Higher Education) of the Cumbria Careers Hub and Careers Strategy.

4. To promote the findings and impact of the Targeted Outreach and Outreach Hub across the partnership through a dissemination of evidence plan.

These are new and specific to Phase 2.

Hello Future Progression Pathway

8

Evaluation In Phase 1 The Hello Future programme was designed in line with target learner ‘ward’ data. The process included matching ‘wards’ with schools/colleges to enable the targeting of the highest number of target learners. In Phase 2 new schools/colleges will be invited to participate in the Hello Future programme to reach the next layer of target learners. Hello Future objectives were set and subsequently micro targets evolved to facilitate fulfilment of the objectives. These are commonly known as ‘Milestones and Tracking’ within the Hello Future partnership and have been used systematically during Phase 1 to ensure objectives have been met.

An evaluation plan was developed in January 2018 and updated in May 2018 to process changes in evaluation in response to partnership feedback. The evaluation plan was underpinned by extensive collaborative work with stakeholders which produced a Learner Need Progression Pyramid and a Theory of Change. The aim of developing the progression pyramid was to identify the key needs of learners as they navigate the education landscape. The progression pyramid informed the development of the Theory of Change. This identified; resources, assumptions/context, acknowledgement of learner barriers, key learner education points, the information/guidance needed at each stage and the connection to Hello Future objectives. This meant that the programme was grounded in expert knowledge and experience of widening participation and the specific barriers affecting young people in Cumbria. The Theory of Change was used to make decisions about which intervention activities were designed, implemented and evaluated by Hello Future in Phase 1.

Hello Future evaluation in Phase 1 took many forms. Given the period of establishing the programme of activities during the earlier part of Phase 1 evaluation was dynamic and inevitably initially reactionary to the programme’s development. The reason for this was that evaluation had to be developed in response to and account for the multitude of new intervention activities being implemented. Therefore evaluation was conducted predominantly on an ‘activity-by-activity’ basis such as whether a workshop or presentation worked for the learner. Towards the middle and latter part of Phase 1 further quantitative and qualitative research methods were adopted. Methods were chosen that were most suitable for conducting research with young people and accounted for the school/college environment in which the Hello Future programme predominantly takes place. Traditional research methods were adapted to make data participation a more exciting prospect for young people. The partnership looked at a myriad of sources through which data could be captured. Experimental methods were adopted which could be used for the residentials and cultural trips as the programme expanded.

9

Data Collection Methods

CFE Surveys Learner Surveys HEAT Tracking Data Partnership Meetings Parent/Carer Surveys National Baseline Data Teacher/Advisor Surveys Minutes and Meeting Notes Learner Postcard Feedback

Graduate Intern Blog Content Programme Facebook Reviews External Provider Focus Groups Interviews with Mentoring Learners Informal Conversations With Teachers Multi-level Staff Activity Reflective Logs In-session Learner Attitude Observations Case Studies of H.E. Learners From Target Wards Learner Collaborative Poster/Post-It Note Sessions Commissioned Research Data Insights and Reports Informal Interviews With Learners (Group and Individual)

Meeting Target Learners From Our Wards

10

The OfS required us to meet 20% of our target learners overall each year. In Phase 1 (January 1st 2017-July 31st 2019) we worked with the following percentages of our target learners within individual specific wards. The percentages account for learners who provided us with postcode information, date of birth and gave us permission to be tracked within our Higher Education Access Tracker (HEAT).

Furness

Percentage Share: 29.4%

42%

37%

30%

53%

34%

59%

Barrow Island

Central

Hindpool

Holborn Hill

Risedale

Walney North

Carlisle & Eden 38% Botcherby

29% Currock

Percentage Share: 33.4%

27%

37%

46%

59%

10%

30%

Denton Holme

Harraby

Longtown & Rockcliffe

Morton

Penrith Pategill

Upperby

West Cumbria

Percentage Share: 37.1%

55% 31% 34% Aspatria

Clifton

Distington

39% Frizington

38%

27%

Mirehouse Moorclose

30% Moss Bay

51% 45% Sandwich

Silloth

28% St. Michael’s

Intervention Format Rationales Each intervention outreach activity has a purpose, is learner

specific and designed with year group suitability in mind.

Presentations are suitable for delivering in schools and colleges for a number of reasons;

1 to convey a lot of information to multiple target learners in a short period of time,

2 the format allows for facts on

multiple topics to be communicated impartially,

3 presentations are successful

in promoting an idea, whilst creating the opportunity for learners to percolate the idea in a dedicated time (such as an assembly) and

4 presentations delivered by

Hello Future rather than school/college teachers presents an opportunity for learners to be more engaged in the content.

Workshops

have proved very successful over Phase 1, given their more interactive format they have developed to ensure learner outcomes are met. Workshops were a chosen intervention format for the following reasons; they

1 create an opportunity for

learners to work in smaller groups,

2 are practical and interactive, 3 facilitate the exploration of a

new progression topic/concept in more depth,

4 the environment is created for learners to ask questions and

5 there are opportunities for

quality interactions between learners and Hello Future staff.

Intervention Format

This term describes the mechanism through which an outreach activity is delivered, for example ‘workshop’ or ‘mentoring’ is a type of intervention format.

Intervention Activity

This term describes the specifics of the activity and reflects the activity content delivered, for example ‘Introduction To Futures’ and ‘Myth Busters’.

Mentoring

is a much more intensive intervention activity than the presentations or workshops. The reason the Hello Future staff utilise mentoring is multifaceted;

1 a target learner can be supported

in a direct and individual way,

2 learners are supported to explore

their own strengths and weaknesses,

3 learners can build a relationship

over time with a Hello Future staff member who has direct experience of H.E. progression,

4

learners are introduced to positive role models,

5 learners receive a new experience

that is similar to the lecturer-student rapport and

6 learners develop communication

skills.

11

Residentials, Cultural Trips and Community Experiences are exceptionally important to a learner’s progression in the Hello Future programme. The rationale for this is the particular needs of our target cohort, who require opportunities to enable socio-cultural development in non-traditional educational settings. In these opportunities, learners;

1 learners experience a new environment, 2 take part in diverse activities outside the county, 3 are supported to have an experience that is outside of their normal ‘everyday’ environment,

4 learners can meet new people (from the same

area but different schools and the Hello Future team),

5 residentials in particular enable relationships to

build over a prolonged period of time and

6 enable the time for ideas to percolate.

Intervention Levels We have seen

9931

learners (this includes seeing the same learners multiple times).

We have seen 4946 unique learners of which 1951 were target learners.

12

Levels are set by the intensity of the activity for the learner, as opposed to the Hello Future resources used to make the activity possible. The levels take into account activity content, contact hours, length of activity, interaction type and activity location.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

          

Information Stand

    

College/University Visit

Presentations Mentoring Launches

11 Activities 22 Activities

Celebration Assemblies Workshop (Less than 1hour) Motivational Speakers

141 Activities

H.E. On Tour Workshop (more than 1hour) NCS Workshops Residential (warm up and celebration) Events.

E-Mentoring

Cultural Trips and Community Experiences, 1 day event.

Graduate Intern Mentoring (Year 10 & 12) Cultural Trips and Community Experiences (multiple days) Residentials (learners stay overnight)

33 Activities 6 Activities 12 Activities 9 Activities 12 Activities 58 Activities 7 Activities

Workshops and Presentations

13

Hello Future has delivered or funded the delivery of over

200 workshops and presentations to young people across Cumbria.

This equates to almost 7000 interactions with young people through our workshops and presentations.

11

20

26

46

20

Lifestyle Choices Workshops with

Communication and Confidence Workshops with

External Provider Workshops with

Futures Workshops with

Growth Mindset Workshops with

627

1171

571

1761

702

participants

13

participants

participants

15

2

participants

23

3 Clearing Presentations with

64

participants

participants

3

3

Life Skills (Finance & Independent Living) Workshops with

Life Skills (Health, Wellbeing & Managing Further Study) Workshops with

Clearing and Adjustment Workshops with

NCS Workshops with

Other Bespoke Workshops with

Study Skills Workshops with

331

491

54

263

180

152

participants

participants

participants

participants

participants

participants

West Cumbria – Delivering Outreach

14

West Cumbrian learners took part in 144 Hello Future Progression Pathway activities and had 287 exchanges with the programme. Learners took part in over 1050 hours of activity in school/college environment.

We saw over 3027 unique learners.

15

9

2

11

5

3

Futures Workshops

Launch Presentations

External Provider Workshops

Growth Mindset Workshops

Schools Bidded Programme

University / College Visits

316

304

127

257

230

157

participants

participants

participants

6

7

3

11

E-Mentoring

NCS Workshops

Higher Education On Tour

Study Skills Presentations

100

96

94

participants

participants

participants

2

2

4

participants

70

participants

2

participants

7

Summer Residentials

52

participants

2

participants

4 External Progression Events

50

participants

1

Lifestyle Choices Workshops

Clearing Presentations

Cultural Trip & Comm. Experiences

Information Stands

Clearing & Adjustment Workshop

Young Researchers Programme

47

37

28

28

230

5

participants

participants

participants

participants

participants

participants

West Cumbria – Working with Schools & Colleges 5

6

Life Skills (Finance & Independent Living) Workshops

268

participants

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

3

3

11

15

31

Life Skills (Health, Wellbeing & Managing Further Study) Workshops

Communications and Confidence Workshop

Study Skills Workshops

Other Bespoke Workshops

Mentoring By Hello Future Graduate Interns

293

participants

participants

140

180

116

154

participants

participants

No. of Contact Hours Learners Received

participants

West Cumbrian School/College

Total No. of Activities Learners Participated In

No. of Exchanges With Our Programme

West Lakes Academy

22

44

103

437

Beacon Hill Community School

19

44

649

417

24

39

200

398

Energy Coast UTC

32

64

141

360

St Joseph's Catholic High School

16

39

55

318

Workington Academy

25

52

115

255

Solway Community School

12

17

20

250

The Whitehaven Academy

7

7

14

244

The Nelson Thomlinson School

12

12

149

231

Lakes College

17

19

139

117

337

1584

3027

St Benedict's Catholic High School

186

(includes learner received activity in and out of school/college setting)

Total No. of Learners Who Have Participated

Carlisle and Eden - Delivering Outreach

16

In Carlisle and Eden learners took part in 69 Hello Future Progression Pathway activities and had 127 exchanges with the programme. Learners took part in over 600 hours of activity in the school/college environment. We saw over 3300 unique learners.

13

6

2

3

Futures Workshops

Comms. & Confidence Confidence

Growth Mindset Workshops

Lifestyle Choices Workshops

575

663

185

170

participants

4

Life Skills Workshops (Health & Wellbeing)

48

participants

1

Information Stand

11

participants

14

Mentoring By Hello Future Graduate Interns

122

participants

participants

participants

participants

9

1

5

1

Cultural Trips & Comms. Experiences

172

Clearing & Adjustment Workshop

32

Summer Residentials

25

Study Skills Workshop

47

participants

participants

participants

participants

1 Home For

1

1

6

Summer?

Launch Presentation

Schools Bidded Programme

9

8

2

participants

participants

participants

NCS Workshops

76

participants

Carlisle and Eden-Working with Schools & Colleges

Carlisle School/College

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Trinity School William Howard School Newman Catholic School Caldew School Newton Rigg College Richard Rose Central Academy Ullswater Community College Carlisle College Richard Rose Morton Academy

No. of Contact Hours Learners Received

Total No. of Learners Who Have Participated

Total No. of Activities Learners Participated In

No. of Exchanges With Our Programme

42

50

461

1246

23

32

194

1142

27

34

234

420

11

15

67

178

7

10

237

168

15

29

201

103

7

13

116

41

4

4

46

7

7

21

42

32

143

208

1598

(includes learner received activity in and out of school/college setting)

17

3327

Furness - Delivering Outreach

18

In Furness learners took part in 96 Hello Future Progression Pathway activities and had

187 exchanges with the programme. Learners took part in nearly 600 hours of activity in the school/college environment.

We saw over 3327 unique learners.

13

11

10

4

8

Futures Workshops

University/College Visits

External Provider Workshops

Motivational Speakers

Higher Education On Tour

575

481

444

445

321

participants

participants

participants

participants

8

6

4

3

E-Mentoring

External Progression Events

Lifestyle Choices Workshop

Growth Mindset Workshops

141

172

138

participants

participants

participants

6

1

1

110

participants

2

participants

6

NCS Workshops

47

participants

2

6

Life Skills Workshop (Health & Wellbeing)

286

participants

4 Cultural Trips & Comm. Experiences

50

participants

1

Mentoring By Hello Future Graduate Interns

Clearing Presentation

Labour Market Info.

Presentation

Summer Residential

Comm. & Confidence Workshops

Life Skills Workshop (Finance)

28

27

24

21

13

8

participants

participants

participants

participants

participants

participants

Furness – Working with Schools & Colleges

Furness School/College

1 Furness Academy 2 Walney School 3 St Bernard's Catholic High School 4 Furness College 5 Millom School 6 Chetwynde School 7 Dowdales School 8 Ulverston Victoria High School

No. of Contact Hours Learners Received

19

Total No. of Activities Learners Participated In

No. of Exchanges With Our Programme

30

47

174

1174

30

78

318

1082

21

51

145

442

15

17

41

316

16

22

22

267

12

17

41

115

9

11

64

103

2

249

6

808

4

3503

135

(includes learner received activity in and out of school/college setting)

Total No. of Learners Who Have Participated

4

Mentoring

20

Exploring the Impact of our Graduate Intern-led

Mentoring Programme 2018/2019

External evaluation commissioned and conducted by Cosmos Ltd.

Sarah Dirrane Director | Research & Strategy Cosmos Ltd.

Robert Shore Senior Research Manager Cosmos Ltd.

www.cosmosltd.uk T | 0113 887 0191 E | sarah@cosmosltd.uk Castleton Mill, Leeds, LS12 2DS

www.cosmosltd.uk T | 0113 887 0191 E | rob@cosmosltd.uk Castleton Mill, Leeds, LS12 2DS

Mentoring Impact Objectives & Methodology What was the primary aim of the research?  Hello Future wanted to undertake an Impact Evaluation on its Mentoring Programme to effectively and robustly measure any sustained impact.  The programme was measured against specifically tailored learner outcomes for Yr 10 and Yr 12 learners.  For Yr 10s: communication and confidence, organisation, study and teamwork skills.  Understanding participant experience for both groups.

Why this project is important . . .  'Bring to life’ and embed the learner voice.  Understand what initiatives work within the programme.  Identify the key impact areas and how the programme has directly affected learners.  Understand how the programme is working and identify any improvements in how the programme is administered.

How did we capture feedback?

Who did we speak to?

Year 10 Learners

Quantitative pre & post surveys 63 Year 10 Learners

Mix of target and nontarget Learners

21

In-depth Case studies with Year 12 Learners

Post-mentoring programme surveys

Year 10 Sample Breakdown

22

Overall sample breakdown of all year 10 learners. Sample included learners who has answered the ‘pre’ survey only, the ‘post’ survey only and those KEY INSIGHTS | SCHOOL CASE STUDIES who answered both the ‘pre’ and ‘post’ survey.’

• Total sample of 63.

• 100% of the sample is White/British • Out of a possible 19 learners that completed the pre-surveys, just 11 individual learners went on to also complete the post stage (following pre), with a further 8 learners completing the pre-questionnaire, and not post.

• Pre and post findings will refer only to the 11 learners that completed both pre and post, with pre-findings used to illustrate existing areas for improvement.

• 29 learners completed the post-only questionnaire.

• 59% of the total sample were target learners. The majority of learners (86%) that completed both pre and post surveys are target learners.

Total

Pre

Post (following Pre)

Postonly

Non-target

Target

Total Count

63

19

15

29

25

38

Female

37

9

8

20

17

20

Male

23

10

6

7

6

17

Other

1

0

1

0

0

1

Prefer not to say

2

0

0

2

2

0

Female

58.7%

47.4%

56.3%

69.0%

68.0%

52.6%

Male

36.5%

52.6%

40,0%

24.1%

24.0%

44.7%

Other

1.6%

0.0%

6.7%

0.0%

0.0%

2.6%

Prefer not to say

3.2%

0.0%

0.0%

6.9%

8.0%

0.0

Statistical Testing

We tested any differences between variables in the data for a significant difference, working to a 95% confidence interval.

Due to the small sample sizes no difference identified was significant. However, the outcomes still provide a good indication of differences in behaviour between the groups.

College/School breakdown Pre and post sample breakdown by college/school Total Total Count

63

Barrow/Furness (pre and post)

10

Beacon Hill

0

Solway (post-only)

13

St Josephs (pre and post)

17

William Howard (post-only)

16

Workington (pre and post)

7

Key Insights | Year 10 Learner Case Studies

23

NERUPI Evaluation Themes

Following the Year 10 mentoring sessions Increased confidence and ability to deal with setbacks in life.

A|

B|

C|

D|

E|

Develop learners’ knowledge and awareness of the benefits of higher education and graduate employment

Develop learners’ capacity to navigate higher education and graduate employment sectors and make informed choices

Develop learners’ confidence and resilience to negotiate the challenge of university life and graduate progression

Develop learners’ study skills and capacity for academic attainment and successful graduate progression

Develop learners’ understanding by contextualising subject knowledge

N/A

Learners feel more confident in achieving their predicted grades.

Learners feel better equipped to adapt to and adopt different learning styles.

Learners enjoyed taking part in the mentoring sessions and found the content useful.

Appears to be a rise in confidence for considering H.E. – although the reality of actually going to a H.E. provider is seen as a challenge.

The programme may need to increase its focus on managing stress levels for learners while studying.

N/A

 Shift in learners feeling confident in considering H.E. – but still nervous about its realities.  Overall, a feeling of being better equipped to deal with setbacks in life.  Increased confidence in study skills – although target learners slightly less so.

Kirkpatrick Event Evaluation Themes

1|

2|

3|

4|

Reaction

Learning

Behaviour

Results

N/A

N/A

The degree to which participants apply what they learned during training when they are back on the job.

The degree to which targeted outcomes occur as a result of the training and the support and accountability package

The degree to which participants find the training favorable, engaging and relevant to their jobs.

The degree to which participants acquire the intended knowledge, skills, attitude, confidence and commitment based on their participation in the training.

Key Insights | Year 10 Pre-Mentoring

24

Using the small sample size of individual learners who completed both ‘pre’ and ‘post’ surveys for the mentoring programme, we looked at pre-existing attitudes towards key learner outcomes before the mentoring programme. This will indicate any key differences between target KEY INSIGHTS | SCHOOL CASE STUDIES and non-target learners that Hello Future could focus on and measure for future initiatives.

Clear differences between target and non-target learners’ attitude towards and confidence in their own ability of key learner outcomes.

Pre-mentoring programme findings for all year 10 learners Differences between target and non-target learners.

50%

Communication

40%

Non-target Target

Planning and organisation

Differences by target status

75% 47%

Non-target

Target

Based on pre-mentoring programme findings we established that target learners:

• Feel less capable of communicating ideas.

• Lower on confidence in their own abilities.

50%

Confidence 33%

60%

60%

Non-target

Target

Non-target

Resilience 50%

Target

100%

Teamwork

Non-target

• Not as confident at working as part of a team

Target

• Feel less able to plan and organise their studies and work.

25%

Non-target

Study skills 33%

Target

• Just 1 in 2 felt able to deal with setbacks in life.

• Target learners did, however, feel slightly more confident in their study skills. * T-test performed – statistically significant difference. 95% confidence

Based on 19 year 10 learners that completed the pre-stage surveys

Key Insights | Year 10 Post-Mentoring

25

We have also analysed the differences between year 10 learners who have completed the mentoring programme and completed surveys after the scheme only.

Clear benefits for target learners in comparison to non-target learners following the mentoring programme Post-mentoring programme findings for all year 10 learners.

Differences between target and non-target learners.

Differences by target status Communication

89% 79%

Non-target

Target

Planning and organisation

63%

Non-target

Target

60%

Based on post-mentoring programme findings we established that target learners:  Target learners felt more resilient and better equipped to deal with any setbacks in life compared to non-target learners.

37%

Non-target

Confidence

42%

Resilience 80%

Non-target 70%

Target

Target

 Target learners didn’t feel as confident at working as part of a team compared to non-target learners.  Just 6 in 10 for both target and non-target learners felt confident in planning and organising their own work following the programme.

86%

Non-target

Teamwork 80%

Target

Based on 29 year 10 learners that completed the pre-stage surveys; 18 target, 9 non-target

26%

Non-target

Study skills 40%

Target

 Although target learners felt more confident than non-target learners in their study skills following the mentoring programme, this was still relatively low for both groups.

Key Insights | Year 10 Pre and Post-Mentoring Pathways Confidence and resilience KEYHEINSIGHTS | SCHOOL CASE STUDIES C|

B|

Develop learners’ confidence and resilience to negotiate the challenge of university life and graduate progression

Develop learners’ capacity to navigate higher education and graduate employment sectors and make informed choices

Going to a HE provider seems difficult for me Confident considering/going to study at HE

40% 46%

Pre

Confidence

Post

40% Pre 82%

Post

Resilience

Based on 11 year 10 learners that completed both pre and post surveys

30%

55%

50%

Study skills Post

Learning styles

D|

40%

Key Impact Evaluation: NERUPI By using the NERUPI framework to initially evaluate themes, we can see that the Year 10 mentoring workshops have largely helped develop multiple key learner outcomes for the group overall.

Pre

63% 60%

Motivation

30% Pre 36% Post

Stress management

30% Pre 36% Post

Pre

82%

Study skills

Develop learners’ study skills and capacity for academic attainment and successful graduate progression

Pre

Post Pre

91%

Post

Post

Target Learner

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Non-Target Learner

Managing stress and self-motivation are key areas of improvement for target learners Based on pre and post survey findings we discovered the following:

• Overall, motivation and feeling capable of managing stress levels while studying made a minimal impact in pre and post evaluation for Year 10 learners that took part in the mentoring programme.

• This finding was more extreme when it came to target learners, with no shift between pre and post attitudes towards stress management for this group. Less than 1 in 2 (43%) agreed the programme helped them manage stress levels when studying.

• Although a small sample size, all pre and post non-target learners believed they were able to manage their stress levels following the mentoring programme. This finding did not change even when expanding the sample to include all non-target learners.

• Target learners admit to struggling with motivating themselves when studying with no positive shift in the number of learners confident in their own ability to do so in the future following the mentoring programme.

H.E. pathways There appears to have been a rise in confidence in considering studying at H.E. as an option, but a conflicting increase in concern at actually going to a H.E. provider. It is possible the mentoring programme has made the possibility of H.E. seem more realistic, but the reality of doing so is seen as intimidating – this was only the case for target learners. Non-target learners’ attitude towards H.E. was one of confidence.

Communication and confidence Almost 60% of Year 10 students cited a newly developed ability to communicate more freely in groups as a particular strength. This skill was developed by learners being given the opportunity to present and discuss ideas in front of groups. This attribute saw a 25% increase between pre and post-programme evaluations.

Resilience Resilience is also a characteristic the NERUPI framework aims to develop and evaluate, with more than 8 in 10 learners now feeling better equipped in dealing with setbacks in academic, personal and professional life.

Study skills Perhaps one of the biggest student takeaways from the programme is the belief they now have in their individual study skills. This includes independent research and organisational skills, as well as adapting to different ways of learning.

Motivation and managing stress Two initial areas to be aware of is this group’s concern over selfmotivation and managing stress levels, especially among target learners.

Key Insights | Pre and Post-Mentoring Impact

27

Kirkpatrick, Level 1: Reaction

KEY INSIGHTS | SCHOOL CASE STUDIES

As well as using selected NERUPI evaluation themes, we identified further areas for impact evaluation. The mentoring programme aimed to improve additional key learner outcomes to the previously identified NERUPI themes.

Hello Future wanted to improve Year 10 skills in planning and organising work, ability and confidence to work as part of a team, and develop an understanding of critical thinking as well as knowing how to apply this knowledge.

I am good at planning & organising my work Organisation

30%

Pre

55%

I am good at working in a team

Post

Teamwork

60%

I know what criticial thinking is

Pre

82%

Post

Critical thinking

I have good critical thinking skills

50%

20%

Pre

Pre

64%

Post

64%

Post

NB: small sample size. Based on 11 year 10 learners that completed both pre and post surveys

Differences by target status

Target Learner

Non-Target Learner

Increased confidence in knowing how to plan and organise work – but target learners struggled to get to grips with applying critical thinking following the mentoring sessions • Non-target learners already appeared to be aware of and feel confident in applying critical thinking.

• While there was some existing awareness of the concept of critical thinking among target learners, still less than half (44%) had a lack of understanding of how to develop this skill and apply it to studying, post-mentoring.

• Following the mentoring programme, less than 6 in 10 target learners either had an understanding of critical thinking, or felt confident in their skills in this area, compared to all non-target learners being comfortable with their critical thinking skills.

• Both groups already felt relatively confident in their ability to work as part of a team – again, all non-target learners were comfortable with this skill, while target learners saw a shift from 63% to almost 9 in 10 (86%) now feeling better equipped at working with, and as part of a bigger group.

• Learning how to plan and organise work saw the biggest shift from pre to post, with less than 4 in 10 (38%) target learners feeling fully confident before the mentoring scheme. Following the programme, 64% felt they now had a better understanding of planning and organising work. All target learners felt confident in this skill.

Key Insights | Satisfaction and Improvements

28

Kirkpatrick, Level 1: Reaction

KEY INSIGHTS | SCHOOL CASE STUDIES

Using Level 1 of the Kirkpatrick Model framework (Reaction), we were able to develop an understanding of the degree to which learners found the training favorable, engaging and relevant.

Agree

Strongly agree

 I enjoyed taking part in the mentoring sessions

38%

63%

 The sessions were well organised

44%

56%

 The content of the sessions was useful

31%

69%

 Overall I’m satisfied with the mentoring programme

33%

67%

Learners were satisfied with the content of the programme – but want better organisation.

Overall, there was 100% satisfaction among Year 10 learners. Almost 7 in 10 strongly agreed that they enjoyed taking part in the sessions and found the content of the sessions useful – driving overall satisfaction.

Learners have consistently been less forthcoming in describing the mentoring sessions as well organised and expressed frustration that the sessions were not held on a more frequent basis and managed around timetables. In Phase 2 we will work more closely with schools to improve session organisation for mentees.

100% Satisfaction

What Will You Take Away From The Mentoring Programme?

“ “

Presenting and independent research

“

Team work and help with talking in front of a group of people and finding information using different things.

Study skills

” ”“

I know how to do my own module in the future.

Organisation and independent research

“ ”

Research and organisational skills.

Communication and confidence

Communication skills and confidence in myself when speaking.

Communication and research

The ability to open up and also research successfully.

“

Confidence and teamwork

”

Working as a team – and confidence.

Key Benefits & Recommendations Key Year 10 Benefits

KEY INSIGHTS | SCHOOL CASE STUDIES

Key Recommendations For Phase 2

Mentored learners feel more capable in dealing with setbacks in life, as well as feeling more confident in their own capabilities

More focus on managing stress levels as well as developing self-motivation for Year 10 target learners.

The mentoring programme has contributed to a significant shift in confidence and social skills.

Student’s biggest takeaway is how much more confident they felt after the programme – further focus on presenting (yr10s) and discuss ideas and worries to continue to develop this area.

Learners feel more confident presenting to and discussing ideas in larger groups.

Mentoring sessions could benefit from more consistency in personnel, regular timings and carefully managed around existing student timetables.

Learners feel they have improved their study skills and are comfortable in adopting different learning styles

Increased focus on planning and organisation for target learners who could fall behind non-target learners in this area.

An evaluation collaboration between

and

29

Cultural Trips

30

BBC Newcastle and University of Newcastle Media Department

Learners went on a behind the scenes tour of the BBC media offices and studios, learning how television and media production operates. This was followed by a workshop session with University of Newcastle staff, focused on the subject of Media and Journalism.

University College of Football Management and Velodrome

Learners engaged in a taster session at the Velodrome, working with British cycling staff and hearing about their careers and H.E. journey’s. Learners also visited University Campus of Football Business, where they toured the facilities and explored the menu of courses and career options including; football journalism, venue management, advertising and sponsorship, sports therapy and sports management.

Of Mice and Men, Manchester Opera House

Learners from across the county joined together at the Manchester Opera House to watch Of Mice and Men. This opportunity provided learners with the opportunity to travel to Manchester and explore the famous arts venue, followed by tickets to experience the live theatre performance.

Lake District Paddle Boarding

Learners who completed our e-mentoring programme delivered by Brightside Mentoring went Paddle Boarding, with partners based in Ambleside. The trip offered learners with an opportunity to try a new skill and experience what the Lake District has to offer.

By reflecting on our learning from the first year of Phase 1. Hello Future identified a need to increase the number of opportunities for learners to be engaged outside of their educational setting. This led to the development of our community and cultural trips programme throughout 2018/19. Cultural trips aim to enable young Cumbrians to have new experiences and further develop their cultural capital.

Edinburgh Architecture and Design Trip

Learners visited the National Museum of Scotland, exploring the international collections in Art, Design and Fashion. The group then explored the Edinburgh College of Arts - Architecture Studios and talked to current learners about their courses and journeys.

Leeds Visit and Grease at Leeds Grand Theatre

Learners had time to explore the city centre of Leeds, enjoying the large shopping centre and multicultural hub. After some lunch, learners had tickets to enjoy the UK touring production of Grease, the musical.

Media City and University of Salford Tour

Focusing on media, journalism and film studies, this trip offered learners the chance to explore the BBC Media City complex and tour the production facilities and studios. Following the tour, learners visited Salford University Media Department and got to ask questions to current media learners about their course and student life.

A spotlight on…BBC Media City and Uni. of Salford

31

In May 2019, we developed a trip to Manchester so that young people from different schools across Cumbria could visit BBC MediaCityUK and the University of Salford. The day included a 90-minute tour of the BBC television and radio production sets. Learners were given the opportunity to take part in interactive activities such as creating their own news bulletin! The University of Salford Media Department took us on a tour, gave a talk on the opportunities available and facilitated a Q&A with Student Ambassadors.

Intervention Aims

 To enable young people to meet peers from different schools in Cumbria – replicating the College/H.E. experience.  To enable young people to develop communications skills and build cultural capital through visiting new locations (including a H.E. Campus).

Year 10 Learner Voice

Year 12 Learner Voice “Absolutely an amazing experience. Loved seeing what it is like to work in media production. This has opened so many doors for my future. Thank you.”

“Today, I really enjoyed learning things I never knew about how the BBC broadcast. I have taken away more information about the opportunities on offer, in order to get closer to working for the BBC. I have also applied for work experience at BBC Radio Cumbria in Year 11.”

“I really enjoyed the tour around media city and found it interesting. The university gave me an insight to help me make a decision on where to go.”

“Something I enjoyed today was seeing where things are filmed.”

“I really enjoyed the BBC media tour and finding out how shows are filmed. I also enjoyed seeing all the facilities at the Uni.”

“Something I can take away for the future is the information that we were told about the university as it could influence my decision later on in life.”

“I enjoyed seeing the behind-the-scenes of TV shows, even if it did creep me out at how small they were. Overall I have had a lovely day especially in the University seeing the different studios.”

“Enjoyed touring the BBC and university facilities. Better idea of the content learnt by a media uni student.”

“I really enjoyed today as it allowed me to realise how much hard work goes into programme/radio…I like how the trip was very casual and how I was treated as a mature adult. It was an amazing experience and I’m so glad I went. It has helped me build social confidence as well as understanding of uni life. I was very nervous when I first arrived and everyone – especially the staff made me feel calm, welcomed and accepted.”

“Today was interesting because I learnt lots of new things about all the secrets behind the camera and in sets.”

Summer Residential 2018

Year 10 at Brathay in Cumbria.

32

Summer Residential 2018

Year 12 at Brathay in Cumbria.

33

Summer Residential 2019

34

Year 10 at Derwent Hill

Evaluating Summer Residential 2019

35

What was it about this residential that made you sign up?

1

7

wanted new experiences and activities.

27 learners attended the residential and completed ‘pre’ and ‘post’ residential surveys.

had previously attended and enjoyed a day long event.

9

wanted to meet new people/make friends.

7

wanted to learn new skills (inc. comms & confidence).

7

signed up to ‘have fun’.

3

signed up because of the specific outdoor activities.

1

learner signed up because they had met HF before.

2

wanted to ‘get away from home’.

1

learner wanted to explore their talents.

What do you hope to learn/gain insight about during this residential?

“Develop social skills”

“To conquer my fears” “Develop team building skills”

“Develop communication skills”

“Gain confidence”

“Learn new talents” “How to canoe”

“How to climb a mountain”

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Have you developed skills in any of the following areas by taking part in the activity?

30

27

26

25

25

Yes

25

23

No

Unsure

24

27

25

23

21

21

20

15

10

5 2 0

0

0

Met new people

0

4

3 1

0

2

1

Tried a new Visited a new Offered my skill location opinion

0

Listened to others

2

2

1

Asked questions

Had new ideas

Are there any other skills you have developed during this trip?

3 1

2 0

3

0

2 0

Developed Worked in a Recognised Recognised confidence group your own the skills of your peers skills

“Better communication”

“Strengthened stamina”

“Talking to others with confidence”

“Socialising more”

“Better teamwork”

“Independence”

“I feel like I have found I need to take a step back and let others take control”

Evaluating Post-Summer Residential Event 2019

37

Our post-residential events create an opportunity for participants from the residentials to meet each other again. This means they re-meet their friends from other schools, meet the Hello Future team again for individual discussions about their future, further develop social cultural assets and enable us to capture more longitudinal data about their future intentions.

Intervention Aims of Post Residential Event    

Ensuring learners receive sustained interventions.

Enabling learners to develop communication skills, maintaining rapport with residential participants and Hello Future Staff.

Enabling learners to experience new opportunities and develop their cultural capital.

To create an opportunity for data collection to understand whether the residential has had the intended impact.

The learners answered survey questions as part of the evaluation for the intervention. We asked learners themselves about their likeliness of applying to H.E. or Degree Apprenticeships.

1

Very Unlikely

1

Unlikely

7

Unsure

5

Likely

All of the learners expressed that they had made friends with learners from different schools across Cumbria and many described enjoying the opportunity to see their peers who had also attended the Year 10 Summer Residential. 21 of the 26 learners who attended the residential event, attended the ‘post’ event.

17/21 identified as having ‘experienced something new’ through the postresidential event intervention.   

Each participant of the ‘Post Residential event’ had a one to one discussion with a Hello Future Practitioner about H.E. Of those 21, 13 expressed an intention to apply to H.E., 7 are considering options that do not include H.E. and 1 was unsure about whether applying to H.E. Practitioners observed and recorded (in field notes) learner attitudes towards H.E. with 17 of the learners having a more positive attitude towards H.E. as a result of our intervention.

7

Very Likely

Young Researchers The Young Researchers project began with a residential at Derwent Hill with eight learners from Trinity School in Carlisle, Workington Academy and St Benedict’s School in Whitehaven. The residential involved a mix of team building activities and social science research training. The learners were also interviewed at the residential and one of the themes, which was consistently discussed by all learners, was the transition from year 11 to A Level. Researchers also upskilled participants who were then able to interview each other. We asked learners to split into two groups and prepare manifestos; one group with advice to year 11 and one group with advice to schools on how to support learners moving into sixth form. These manifestos were presented at the first Hello Future conference held in December 2018.

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Community Experiences

39

Carlisle Youth Zone – Summer Collaborative Programme

Partnering with CYZ, we co-produced and funded a summer menu of activities, offering their senior club members opportunities and trips to experience new skills and locations. All of the opportunities were created by the learners feedback on careers, skills and courses they are interested in finding out more about. This included a theatre workshop and trip to London, a visit to the Emmerdale village tour, Wimbledon, the Netball world cup, beach and environment cleaning projects.

Dreamscheme Photography Project

A group of learners with a keen interest in photography, joined the Media department at University of Cumbria for a masterclass and to experience the university facilities. Following their visit, they travelled on the train to Manchester to visit the ‘Sixteen’ exhibition and returned back to Aspatria to capture and event manage their own community based exhibition, looking at Aspatria Then and Now.

Recycling with the Arts Project

Working with St. Bernard’s Catholic High School, learners explored the affects of plastics on ocean communities and wider environmental factors. To help raise awareness, the learners worked with a community artist to learn how to design and build a sculpture from their recycling materials, which would then be displayed in the school. The learners involved completed a Bronze Arts Award for taking part in this project, which required them to learn a new skill, teach a new skill and present the project to the Senior Leadership Team and guests at the sculpture unveiling.

Write It Out

The Write It Out project focused on collecting stories from learners and experts to raise awareness of mental health difficulties that they have navigated whilst at University. The stories share experiences and where they went for support whilst juggling the pressure of their studies, part-time jobs and personal lives.

Write, Record, Release

Working with the Sunbeams Music Trust, the project brought learners with an interest in music production together with a Cumbria musician for a day of writing and creating their own music. With the support of the studio technicians, learners participated in writing masterclasses and played their own music, whilst exploring the different creative courses and routes within H.E. and Performing Arts.

Creative Careers Event

This event brought together 25 creative industry partners, training providers and third sector organisations to showcase the variety of options for learners to study and work within the creative sector. The event took place in the west coast of Cumbria and provided learners, parents/carers and teachers a platform to explore different providers and H.E. options.

Jodrell Bank Observatory

Working with a group of A Level physics learners, the trip focused on astronomy and science, working with the discovery centre and student ambassadors from Manchester Metropolitan University. Learners participated in workshops and experienced the famous Lovell telescope.

Working with Carlisle Youth Zone

40

Summer Programme - 2019

As part of our community activities in Phase 1, we have worked in partnership with Carlisle Youth Zone (CYZ), a local youth provision situated in the centre of Carlisle.

Our programme was able to add value to their existing summer offer and support its growth. As a community partner, CYZ has allowed us to position our work outside of the traditional educational environments and work with target learners; both repeat (receiving sustained interventions) and new target learners.

“As a result of the partnership with Hello Future across the Summer of 2019, Carlisle Youth Zone has been able to offer some spectacular ‘once in a lifetime' opportunities to disadvantaged young people from the local area. These young people probably would have only dreamed of attending some of the events and places they did this summer, and as a result of the partnership they could do so with no cost at all. Thus meaning those who are often put off by activity cost or simply cannot afford to do so, were able to attend and had new and amazing experiences.

Across the Summer Carlisle Youth Zone and Hello Future were enabled 45 young people to have a new experience, with 23 of them attending 2 or more trips.

Without the partnership with Hello Future none of the activities would have been possible with funding contributing to accommodation, tickets, travel arrangements, food, drinks and so much more, but overall these young people have been exposed to unbelievable experiences as a result of your generous input. Young people were selected for specific trips based upon their interest and future aspirations to be exposed to inspirational opportunities in the hope of triggering further aspiration and consideration to their personal journey.

The young people thoroughly enjoyed all trips, and in some instances got more from the travel to the event than anything else. Many haven’t been on a train or don’t have the opportunity to get out of Cumbria so the exposure to these opportunities have been invaluable for their personal and social development”.

Cameron Wilson, Senior Club Team Leader, Carlisle Youth Zone

15

Activities

45

Participants

Aspatria Photography Project with Dreamscheme We worked with a group of young people from West Cumbria who have an interest in photography and media. The learners joined us for a visit to the University of Cumbria (UoC) Media Department. During their visit, they participated in a photography workshop led by Senior Lecturer, Sarah Bonner.

During the workshop, the group had the opportunity to set up their own still life model, capture their image using the professional level equipment and develop the final design in the dark room. The learners toured the department’s facilities and the wider university campus, which helped them to get a feel of what life as a media student is really like.

Following the workshop with UoC, the learners visited Manchester to experience ‘Sixteen’, an exhibition presented at Manchester Central Library. The multimedia exhibition asks, ‘What is it like to be sixteen years old now?’

Photographer Craig Easton developed the concept following his work with sixteen year olds at the time of the Scottish Independence Referendum; the first and only time that sixteen year olds were given the vote. He, and other documentary portrait photographers worked with young people from all across the country to make a visual vox pop.

The young people led their visit to Manchester using Google Maps to locate their destination, as well as finding a spot for lunch. After lunch, the group visited Inflata Nation, an inflatable theme park where learners had the chance to conquer the total wipe out red balls and vertical slides. This aimed to facilitate rapport between members of the group.

The next stage of the project pulled together these new photography skills and experiences from the exhibition, to create, organise and host their own public exhibition back in Aspatria in partnership with Dreamscheme. The learners chose the theme ‘Old and New Aspatria’ and used historic photographs and archived materials of their town, alongside their own work to track both the changes over time and the things that have remained the same. The learners invited friends, families, teachers and members of the local community to see the work and presented their project.

41

Intervention Aims  



To provide learners with an insight into university level study of a subject they are passionate about.

To develop the learners cultural capital through the a trip to a city, incorporating travel via public transport and a trip to a cultural location (Manchester Central library).

To support confidence building and teamwork skills as they worked on a project from beginning to end.

Practitioner Voice “A key strength of the project was that it was built around an expression of interest from the learners, so it had the learners at the centre from its inception. This meant the learners were incredibly engaged from the outset, allowing their passion to grow with each stage of the project. This growth was incredibly rewarding to watch.

After working closely with the learners for a sustained period, we were able to see their confidence, enthusiasm and self-belief heighten with each interaction. At the final exhibition, the learners confidently introduced their own work, welcomed strangers by shaking their hands and discussed their achievements with pride. In comparison to our first meeting with them, this demonstrated the positive impact the project had on these learners.

The personalised photobooks for the learners to keep were received incredibly well. This kind of personal touch really helped cement the relationships we built over the course of the project and allowed the learners to have something tangible to keep and show.

Over the course of the project, our sustained contact with the learners in a non-academic setting facilitated trust between young people and the staff. It is incredibly important to note how effective we found changes to the setting to be in forming meaningful relationships where the young people could be open and develop their skills”.

Recycling With The Arts

42

Our ‘Recycling with the arts’ project worked with a group of learners from St. Bernard’s Catholic High school in Furness who had an interest in the environment and climate change.

Intervention Aims  To raise learner’s awareness of ocean plastic and recycling as well as developing their understanding of influencing change.  To enable participants to develop their soft skills and attain the Bronze Arts Award qualification.  To enable learners to gain exposure to professionals in the arts industry who have completed their H.E. journey.  To inspire curiosity in studying arts and environmental sciences at Level 4 and above.

Over the course of three days we worked with the young people to complete their Bronze Arts Award. They created a sculpture from recyclable materials collected from the school. The sculpture of a ‘whale’ represented plastic pollution in the rivers and oceans and is now displayed in the school library to promote recycling.

The learner group created the ‘whale’ with help from professional artist Nick Greenall and presented ‘Bruce’ to members of the senior leadership team at their school. This led to conversation with their head teacher, Mr Croft about future environmental sustainability within the school.

Practitioner Voice “The learners were engaged from start to finish! Getting learners to think more deeply about the world around them and their environmental impact, all whilst encouraging them to let their creativity flow and skills develop. Getting the opportunity to interact with industry professionals such as Nick Greenall was extremely beneficial for the learners, and they took every opportunity to ask him more about his work in the industry. Moreover, spending a sustained amount of time with Hello Future staff allowed the learners to develop a strong rapport with us, and this gave them the opportunity to ask us about our H.E. journeys and for us to discuss their individual plans”.

We asked the learner’s what further support they wanted from us, this is what they told us…  Maybe some residentials or trips could be fun and let me see the world around us.  Trips and pizza.  I’d like mentoring and for you to come back in.  How to get more involved with the environment!  Come back in Year 10 to mentor us.  Come back in and do another project.

5

Asked A Question

6

Tried A New Skill

7

Offered An Opinion

Jodrell Bank Discovery Centre

43

Intervention Aims

 To encourage learners to consider different STEM careers beyond what’s already easily accessible to them.  To showcase varied types of STEM subjects beyond those that young people might already know about.  To inspire learners to pursue STEM subjects at H.E. at a key educational point (Year 12).  To enable learners to develop knowledge and skills in Science in a new location.

Practitioner Voice

Intervention Rationale Mark who studied a STEM subject at Newcastle University described how… “When I was a physics student at Millom School, I was invited on a nuclear-based trip. Afterwards I was put in the extra effort to revise for my science subjects. The trip always sticks in my mind, so I know how influential this type of experience can be”.

How likely are you to consider a career in science?

(13 learners)

Before

After

Unsure

4

1

Likely

6

8

Very Likely

3

4

8

12

What was your memorable moment with a learner?

“Working with a group of learners during the pulsars workshop, assisting in the calculations and understanding of the topic”.

Can you think of stand out conversations you had with a learner?

“Chatting with a learner about the number of undergraduate courses on offer in science, mainly focusing on chemistry and physics. Also listening to a group learners talking about the exhibits on display and explaining what they were to each other”.

Mark thought the trip was particularly successful in meeting its aims because it was closely linked to what the learners were studying and the A-level syllabus. Additionally, the focus on astrophysics and the new learning environment at Jodrell Bank meant the learners were both engaged as well as challenged by the workshops to learn new things. If he was to do the trip again he would invite younger learners so the older learners could inspire them to study Science at GCSE and A Level, whilst ensuring the workshops were targeted at the appropriate age groups.

4

Offered An Opinion

7

Asked A Question

8

Met New People

Tried A New Skill

Visited A New Location

We asked participants…

‘What made you sign up to this experience?’  Learning more about radio-telescopy.  Exhibitions and workshops expanding knowledge of physics.  Physics.  Expanding my knowledge of physics.  Interested to learn new knowledge.  Everything – learning new things for next year.  Learning about astrophysics and space  Interesting opportunity.  Curiosity.  The knowledge I learn could help me for next year doing Physics.  I’m excited to learn about astrophysics.  It could help me during the 2nd year of the course.  Potentially studying astrophysics next year.

‘How can HF support you further?

What would you like to see us offer?’

‘Has the experience lived up to expectations?’

The resounding answer was YES and here’s why…

I heard more about space exploration and radio telescopes.

I learnt a lot about the various topics covered in the exhibitions and workshops.

I learnt a lot about space.

I learnt about what Jodrell Bank is and found it enjoyable.

I’ve learnt a lot more than I thought therefore exceeding my expectations.

I enjoyed exploring the facility and

learning about what they do there.

I learnt a lot. I was very impressed with

the workshops.  A scholarship/bursary fund for Cumbrians going to Uni.  Do the same as well as conveying information about the careers possible with what was taught.  More physics and maths trips.  Offer more events like this in other subjects, Maths/physics/engineering.  Offer more of the same. I would definitely come to the physics/science based trips.

I Learnt a lot more about space than I

expected..

I enjoyed the trip as much as I thought I

would. I enjoyed learning about astrophysics and the telescope.

I learnt more about space and the solar system.

44 As part of this project we trialled using a new ‘pre’ and ‘post’ survey with learners. This trial has helped shape how we tailor our data collection tools to our target cohort.

Write It Out

45

For this project a series of blogs have been created that share the personal stories and experiences of people who have faced challenges with their mental health or felt it has been a barrier to accessing H.E. The blog writers share how they have overcome the barrier or have been supported through their H.E. journey.

Within this project, pastoral contacts within HEIs were developed including wellbeing managers and student support services and the necessary complex landscape of ethics, safeguarding and mental health within H.E. negotiated.

Intervention Aims 

To collate, display and share blogs written by individuals who have pursued H.E. and experienced mental health issues themselves.



To collate, display and share blogs written by individuals who have expertise within the field of mental health and wellbeing.



To make mental health support more accessible to young people in Cumbria and to reduce assumptions around Further/Higher Education and mental health and wellbeing.

Identified Intervention Gap

Research Conducted

Project Ideation

Practitioner Voice

Pastoral Contacts Developed

The positive project logo captures the therapeutic qualities of writing about personal experiences’.

Cumbrians Approached to Write Blogs

Blogs Go Live on our Website

Alex – My story with mental health

“Read stories from people who have had or are living with mental health issues. Hearing from someone going through a similar experience can be supportive whilst you are going through the demands of education and facing the difficulties of life.

Dave – 5 Ways to Wellbeing

These blogs have been written to help demonstrate that going through education at any level is possible whilst struggling with mental health issues whatever they may be”.

Hannah – Being a young carer at university

George – Dealing with an eating disorder Rachel – Growing up with anxiety

Write, Record, Release.

46

Write, record, release was a reactionary project created based on the expression of interest from some of our Beacon Hill School learners in Aspatria. Centred on this interest we designed and ran a project which explored different aspects of the music industry. The project worked in collaboration with Sunbeams Music Trust and professional local musician J Lewis to produce Write, Record, Release.

Intervention Aims 





To develop communication and team work skills whilst working on a project from start to finish.

To enable learners to meet new people who work in the music industry and hear their H.E. journeys.

To show learners how further education opportunities are available in interests and passions.

The project enabled learners to collectively write, record, and produce their own song over the course of a day. Learners were exposed to the abundance of career and study options within the music industry, highlighted by the personal H.E. journeys of J Lewis and project coordinator Pete Ord. Learners were able to chat with J Lewis on the way to Rheged, a local media and arts venue, about what opportunities there are when you study music production at university. Learners were engaged and asked questions to Pete after he opened up about his experience of studying musical production at H.E. and the doors it’s opened for him in his current career, in which he is now lecturing in Community Musical Outreach at Leeds College of Music.

We began the day with a song writing workshop, in which the young people chose the genre and theme of their song and worked with J Lewis and Pete to create lyrics and a chord structure. They then had a short jamming session and were able to pick up the basic chords of their song on their chosen instruments. Some of the young people had never played an instrument before, but by the end of the session they were all playing competently and cohesively, and were ready to record! The song consisted of piano, bass, electric guitar, drums and two vocalists, and is titled ‘Skyline’.

Learner Voice “ I think I want to go to university now…to study musical production. I think I’d really enjoy it.” “ This has been so much better than I thought it would be. I feel really confident in myself now, so thank you for that.”

Practitioner Voice “One learner who took part in the project was initially only likely to pursue music as a hobby but was unsure about pursuing music as a career and after taking part in the project was both very likely to pursue music as both a hobby and career option”.

Nearly all of those who took part felt that they had

tried a new skill, visited a new location, offered an opinion and asked a question.

#CreateYourself

47

#CREATEYOURSELF is a project designed for young people with interests and hobbies in the ‘Arts’ – whether they are budding Writers, Film Producers, Designers or Performers. The main aim of the project was for Cumbrian learners to realise their potential to pursue careers in the arts, and to raise awareness of the importance of their skills.

Intervention Aims    

To raise awareness of the importance of arts-based subjects, skills and careers.

To enable young people to feel more informed about the breadth of arts-based careers and pathways available to them.

To create opportunities for learners to realise their potential in these fields, and offer an insight into what to do with said potential.

To bring local creative opportunities in Cumbria to the fore; overcoming the geography of Cumbria and the perceived lack of opportunity.

Practitioner Voice “The social-media element of the project showcases the stories of different creative professionals ranging from Visual Artists with interests in Psychotherapy, Performers & Theatre Company owners, BBC Series Producers & Project Managers for arts organisations. Via in-depth case studies, their stories underline details about how they journeyed into the arts industry through higher education, whilst alluding to the breadth of career opportunities and educational pathways available. Formatted as blogs, the creatives were asked to talk honestly about their experiences, including some of the challenges and obstacles faced along the way. By reading real-life journeys, we felt that young people could use this as inspiration to take advantage of their own creative opportunities, as well as learn about the range of options available. Each case study was published per day via our Hello Future Facebook & Instagram pages, and more permanently on our website, given the ubiquity of social media for our target learners and the accessibility of the information. The campaign was run alongside the national ‘Discover Creative Careers Week”, supported by the LEP. Though this project, I have been given the opportunity to network with local creatives in the process of trying to understand the current creative landscape in Cumbria. This project has informed, and will underpin, the work to be carried out in Phase 2 as part of our Cultural Trips and Community Experiences.”

Intervention Rationale: Practitioner Voice

“The learners I’ve spoken to through our targeted outreach programme consider ‘Arts’ as social hobby rather than something they can study and is economically valuable as a career” “Young people are interested in film and media. They want to go into that. They want to be Youtubers. They want to do these things and want to know how” “A student in Carlisle college who is into film production felt that because he was creative and practical, university wasn’t for him.

He did not align creativity with University. He thought that were only 12 universities in the UK” “A Dad once approached us at a parents evening and said that when he was younger he wanted to have a creative career but didn’t follow that career path because he didn’t think it was something he could do. Now his son is interested in a creative career and doesn’t want him to make the same mistake”

Evaluation - Online CEIAG Platforms

48

During phase 1, Hello Future provided eligible schools and colleges in Cumbria with funding to support CEIAG. We invested a total of ÂŁ233,474. This support was welcomed by schools and colleges to assist in meeting statutory career guidance requirements. ÂŁ99,511 was used to enable schools and colleges to access online CEIAG platforms.

Our initial investment aimed to fulfil gaps in existing CEIAG provision and provided opportunities for schools and colleges to experiment with different resources to assist them in making informed decisions on the interventions they want to fund in the future. Schools and Colleges used the fund to access different CEIAG platforms including Unifrog, Cascaid Kudos, START and U-Explore. Members of staff from 16 schools and colleges responded to the survey. All said they had engaged parents and carers by facilitating access to a platform.

10,411 Cumbrian learners

accessed an online CEIAG platform.

Lakes College

Years 12,13 852 learners used the platform 3x per year

Walney School

Caldew School

Years 9,10,11

Years 7,8,9,10,11,12,13

400 learners used the platform 20x in the year

On average they used the platform between 5-10x

Workington Academy

Years 7,8,9,10,11,12,13 800 learners and a minimum of 10x per year

Beacon Hill School

Years 7,8,9,10,11 129 learners used the platform more than 6x per year

Nearly every school and college who benefitted from access to a platform described how their learners accessed the provision in their own time.

Schools and colleges encouraged learners to access a platform in their spare time.

Self-initiated use of the service was more encouraged for the older learners in the cohort.

Furness Academy

Newman School

Years 8,9,10,11

Years 7,8,9,10,11,12,13

450 learners used the platform 4-5x per year

500 learners using the platform 2-3x per year

200 learners used the platform at least once in the year

St. Benedict’s

Nelson Thomlinson

UCC

St Josephs

Years 7,8,9,10,11,12,13

Years 7,8,9,10,11,12,13

Years 9,10,11

Years 7,8,9,10,11

1100 learners, increasing usage by age group. KS5 weekly and KS3 fortnightly

1250 learners used the platform 5-6x per academic year

700 learners used the platform 6x per year

Chetwynde School

Years 7,8,9

700 learners used the platform 5x per year

William Howard

Richard Rose Morton

Richard Rose Central

Energy Coast UTC

Years 7,8,9,10,11,12,13

Years 7,8,9,10,11

Years 11,12,13

Years 12, 13

1400 learners, at least 2x per academic year

700 learners used the platform 10x per year

150 learners used the platform 10x per year

80 learners, 40x per academic year

CEIAG Platforms – Learner Impact By Teachers and Advisors

50

Examples of how learner’s have successfully used a CEIAG platform to increase knowledge and/or pursue further education.

“ Child previously intent on L2 Beauty course is now on a L3 Apprenticeship.”

“ A student wanting to progress into medicine, initially researched this area using U-Explore, once she had gained knowledge and understanding of this sector, she had the confidence to progress to taster days/events offered by NHS. ” “ Student leaving in year 11 had access to information regarding an apprenticeship, he had applied for it and was successful. But because of Unifrog he searched again and found that he was able to apply for a higher level qualification in the same area/field. ” “ One student had absolutely no idea what he wanted to do before Kudos. He then researched careers on Kudos. Went to an event at Newcastle University and now knows that he wants to do A levels and then study at University. ” “ A student who was thinking about a career in healthcare used START to explore different options and having originally thought she was most interested in nursing, she decided that Radiography was going to be her first choice for a career. ” “ We have one student who was completely stuck on how to write a letter of application for an employer project that takes places at our school. We advised her to use Unifrog in the first instance - two days later she returned with a good first draft of a letter and as a bonus, a much improved CV! ” “ Increase in university applications since implemented, learners aware of where to find information on careers and next steps. Increased use of super-curricular

activity in KS5 using MOOCs and 'Geek it out' sections - this has led to improved personal statements and increases in offers at competitive universities. KS4 using the platform to create CVs and are engaging in applying for part time work. Learners being able to look at a range of courses split into different groups and filter appropriately. Increased knowledge of LMI using apprenticeship search tool for example.

”

“ So one disengaged learner; many meetings with them. Used START to begin narrowing down options. Completed ‘About Me’ and ‘My Activities’ sections. There was evidence of wanting to do something sports related - which had not previously been expressed as an option. However the likes and dislikes and job suggestions START was providing was telling a different story to the YP presenting. As we explored he then related to an available course at College which he had never thought about previously. He eventually attended an interview and was accepted on the course.

”

“ A student joined us from another school. She had never used Unifrog before and was unaware of its uses. She has used Unifrog for the following: • Templates

for Personal Statements, CVs and covering letters • Preparation for Yr13 Mock interviews with employers • Widened her search of courses: Project Management/Business & marketing/Textiles & Fashion/Civil Eng/Education/English/Journalism/Graphic Design/History/ICT/HR/Legal services • Researched UK apprenticeships other than in STEM • Researched UK universities that offer apprenticeships • Researched universities abroad that would work financially for her • Matched her own skills to those necessary for each career of interest • Did an online course on Business Fundamentals of Project Management to gain knowledge to support future applications. Also used this knowledge to help her peers with their Business Studies work. She whole heartily recommends the use of Unifrog to inform learners about their future choices and those choices that they have not considered previously. It is very useful that all these resources are in one site and that it enables to manage and sort information in a variety of ways depending on what is important to learners. The student only has one reservation about Unifrog: Unifrog does not have a spell checker; therefore, documents have to be created in word and then cut and paste them onto Unifrog.

”

Improving Career Access Provision

We asked

Has access to an Online Careers Platform improved the careers provision of your school/college?

5

Agree

11

Strongly Agree

Enabling New IAG Provision

School and College Endorsement

Has access to the Online Careers Platforms enabled teachers and advisors to provide their learners with Information Advice and Guidance they would otherwise not have had access to?

Would you recommend that other schools and colleges use an Online Careers Platform?

We asked

We asked

3

Agree

13

3 Agree 13

Strongly Agree

Reduced Access Impact

We asked

Will being unable to access an Online Careers Platform negatively impact the provision of Careers IAG for your learners?

1 Disagree 4 Agree 11

Strongly Agree

Strongly Agree

Given that Hello Future can no longer fund the Online Careers Platforms in Phase 2, what impact do you anticipate this will have on your school/college careers provision? Verbatim Responses Presented.       

“It is a valuable resource that is firmly embedded into the curriculum.”

“That we will not have access to Unifrog.”

“Our Multi Academy Trust have agreed to fund, but without it there would be a negative impact.”

“We have purchased out of another budget in school for this year but this has left us with less money to do other careers work.”

“Significant in that provision will now be less substantial with a significant resource gap.”

“This will seriously impact the provision offered. Learners will lose data and will not have up-to-date impartial information at their finger tips which records their searches and activities and interactions.”

“Financial, as we have spent a lot of time and resource to get this started so we will definitely be continuing with our contract.”

        

“We have negotiated a two year deal for reporting directly with START.” “We will continue using START.” “We will only be able to buy the free version which does not allow bulk uploading of learners or provision of various reports.”

“The quality will reduce and the staff workload will increase.”

“We will no longer have 100% on benchmarks and learners will not have access to information they need for careers.”

“I feel that it would adversely affect the access to information for the learners, making it likely that they would find it more difficult to search and collate their choices for post 18.”

“We will struggle to afford one ourselves so this will limit our completion of the Gatsby Benchmarks.”

“It will be difficult for the school to afford to subscribe to it.”

“We have decided to keep paying for it ourselves.”

51

Online CEIAG Platforms – Gatsby Benchmarks

52

The majority of schools and colleges who received funding for an online CEIAG platform either Strongly Agreed or Agreed that provision supported the school/college in meeting Gatsby Benchmarks.

Q. How did access assist you in meeting Gatsby Benchmarks?

When we come to run the Compass review tool, we can look at reports from Start which show evidence of career interactions.

Learners have access to Labour Market Information from watching the video clips. It is a good method to educate and involve parents in their child's careers journey. IAG meetings are held after research using U-Explore is completed.

Careers lead believes it is a vital tool in meeting several benchmarks and has also used it to develop form activities and assemblies adding to Compass/Gatsby success.

Provided a focus ahead of planning for trips and visits to colleges and universities so that we can plan effectively. Also, started a debate in form time on careers and supported us when we carried out destination data.

Enables learners to access information after leaving school. Provides impartial information on a range of options and jobs. Provides a range of tasks and presentations that can be used by staff to deliver a range of lessons (including developing a set of subject specific resources) or activities. Enables logging and recording of activities that learners can access.

START provides evidence for all the Gatsby benchmarks however I feel particularly 2,3,4,7 (Gatsby Bench goals).

The resource has made so much available in one place at the click of a mouse. Staff workload issues are avoided.

It provides a much-needed, always accessible source of impartial careers advice and guidance.

Supported learners and staff in accessing up to date Labour Market Information.

Without it we would not have achieved 100% (OFSTED).

Allowing subject teachers to keep up to date with careers in their particular areas. Provides learners with Labour Market Information (and teachers). Allow learners to access impartial careers information.

It helps us have a stable careers programme (Gatsby 1). It helped us find out about each pupil and address their needs (Gatsby 2) It encouraged learners to progress to higher / further education (Gatsby 7). It gave learners a starting point to personal guidance (8) It allowed us to help learners access Labour Market Information more readily.

Used as part of our college action plan.

It allowed us to access to start to track the learners and what contact they had had. As well as giving them access to a wide range of resources.

1

2

A stable careers programme Learning from career and labour market information

3

Addressing the needs of each pupil

4

Linking curriculum learning to careers

5 6 7 8

Encounters with employers and employees Experiences of workplaces Encounters with further and higher education Personal guidance

Research Projects Capturing Learner, Practitioner and Expert Voice.

How do peer interactions influence young people’s engagement with H.E. and Widening Participation activities?

Learning together: widening participation research with, for and by young researchers.

Dr. Elizabeth Grainger, Dr. Cherry Canovan and Rory McDonald (Doctoral Candidate), UCLan.

Dr. Ann-Marie Houghton and Dr. Jo Armstrong. REAP: Researching Equity, Access and Participation, Department of Educational Research, Lancaster University.

This research project is being developed and led by UCLan. The idea was developed at a Hello Future partnership meeting following our summer residentials; through conversations with learners at the residentials a couple of interesting themes around peer influence became apparent. For example, one learner said they would not want to go away to university as they felt accepted in their friendship group at home and thought he would be most likely to stay with them in case he was not accepted elsewhere. To the contrary, another learner mentioned that they had come on the residential where they would not know anyone as it meant they could ‘start again’ and be whoever they wanted to be. The project aims to develop an understanding of how we can support learners who identify with these issues by exploring the following questions through focus groups and semi structured interviews:  What gives young people a sense of belonging in their current peer/friendship groups?  What are they concerned about when leaving their peers for university?  What are their hopes and expectations in relation to university peers?  What could help them to create a sense of belonging at university?

This project worked with a small group of year 12 Young Researchers (YR). The project enabled the YR to carry out a piece of qualitative research, interviewing one another and family members to learn about their educational and employment trajectories. Three principles central to the project’s success and potentially instructive for future work are facilitated participation, flexibility and responsiveness, and interprofessional collaboration. Firstly, enabling the YR to have a voice required structure and training such that participation was perhaps not ‘full’ but rather ‘facilitated’ and their learning scaffolded. Secondly, the project planning allowed us to respond to the YR feedback meaning their input valuably shaped the outcomes in a way that could not have been anticipated. Thirdly, the network of staff, including administrators, outreach officers, outdoor activity instructors, and academics, meant knowledge and skills were shared to the benefit of all participants.

53

Pursuing respect and relatedness through dialogic teaching.

Professor Pete Boyd, University of Cumbria and Ian Russell, Energy Coast University Technical College.

How do skilful teachers create classroom learning environments in which all students make good progress in learning, but also experience respect and a sense of belonging? This is important for learners who have experienced sustained social disadvantage because of the stigma associated, for example, with living in poverty. Material dialogic teaching, building on the work of Robin Alexander and Neil Mercer, offers practical strategies for supporting learning, respect and relatedness through classroom talk.

We report on the first action research cycle of a project by teacher researchers using lesson study in different curriculum subjects across a vocational high school in England. Data includes classroom video, recording of teachers’ lesson evaluation, and video stimulated recall interviews with target learners. The analysis highlights the significance of task design and reveals a tension between focusing on the assessment requirements of forthcoming exams whilst setting high expectations for all students. The findings suggest that the wider school culture is already achieving a sense of respect and relatedness for disadvantaged learners. The challenge remains to build respect and relatedness more fully at classroom level, so that it is strongly associated by students with learning and with their future choices for study.

Research Projects Capturing Learner, Practitioner and Expert Voice.

54

Understanding the Rural and Coastal Contexts of Widening Participation.

Perspectives and prospects: the educational ambitions and intentions of young white British males from five disadvantaged areas in North West England.

Dr. Tom Grimwood, Dr. Meaghan Grabrovaz and Dr. Vicki Goodwin, University of Cumbria.

Dr. Neil Raven, Independent Consultant.

The University of Cumbria-based research group Health and Society Knowledge Exchange (HASKE) developed a project examining the rural and coastal contexts of widening participation. This research aimed to understand this topic in more detail by gathering data from localities in Cumbria in order to respond to the following questions:  What constitutes a ‘rural and/or coastal context’ in relation to Widening Participation?  How can the contextual dimensions of Widening Participation be understood and accounted for when outreach activities are delivered?  What is the existing evidence for ‘what works’ for outreach activities in similar contexts outside of Cumbria?

The summary report will help to inform future outreach activities and evaluation by providing a detailed and nuanced account of the rural and coastal contexts from the perspective of young people, including recommendations that can be used by partners and the Hello Future central team to support outreach activities.

This collaborative qualitative project between the five North West Uni Connect consortia and Dr. Neil Raven sought to better understand the educational ambitions and motivations of young white British males from five areas across the North West. Whilst these areas vary in terms of their economic and social characteristics - comprising of a long established coastal community, a market town with a large rural hinterland, an old industrial centre, and two metropolitan boroughs - each is associated with comparatively low rates of higher education participation.

Focus groups were undertaken with young men from Years 10 and 12 which explored their subject choices and their rationale for these, their post-18 intentions and views on H.E., and their career ambitions and perceptions of the local labour market, including the draw (or otherwise) of local employment. These conversations also considered the influences shaping their outlooks and ambitions, including the role played by their families, friendship networks and teachers, as well as the impact of the outreach interventions they had received.

To complement the learner perspective - and to add wider context - the views of outreach practitioners familiar with each of the five case study areas were gathered, alongside the insights of teaching professionals from each of the participating schools and colleges.

One of the study’s principal objectives was to compile a set of practice-based recommendations. These recommendations feature in a report that details the investigation’s key findings, available from Hello Future.

In Phase 1, as projects have been completed we have begun disseminating research findings and incorporating results within our Targeted Outreach Programme. In Phase 2 we will explore options for adapting the research to suit different audiences.

Projects Delivered By Our Partners and Schools/Colleges Beacon Hill Community School

A range of projects including The Bike Club and The Cumbria Award were created, supporting the development of growth mindset and cultural capital, to broaden horizons within exciting contexts.

Carlisle College

Parents and carers have been assisted in supporting their children to make informed choices through receiving IAG and interactive taster events.

Furness College

Personal Progress Coaches have incorporated the Academic Resilience Approach into group sessions; including staff training and Student Union support to create a resilient college ethos with a focus on aspiration.

Furness College with Kendal College, Lakes College and Carlisle College

A partnership of colleges created a resource book to address a lack of detailed, concise, student and staff friendly information on degree and higher apprenticeships, The topics included what is involved in degree apprenticeships, what is it like to study and work at the same time, how does a typical day/week look, how do employers select students and what are employers’ expectations.

Kendal College

Postcards for parents and carers were created to explain the options for young people post-16 and post-18, celebrate positive role models, and share labour market information. A guide for parents and carers will also be launched shortly.

Lakes College

Events for parents and carers were delivered to promote the value of H.E. to the local employment market; highlight the different routes to H.E.; produce case studies of students and showcase the range of local employment opportunities.

55

Lancaster University with the University of Cumbria (UoC), UCLan and Kendal College An interactive careers event themed around ‘Crime, Investigation and the Law’ was delivered. Young people witnessed a fictional crime scene, participated in a parameter search, and practiced testing for finger prints whilst learning about related careers and the study pathways involved.

NHS Morecambe Bay Health and Care Partners and UoC

A network of current health and care student ambassadors has been developed in local colleges and universities to inspire young people to consider FE/HE courses and future careers in the NHS.

NHS Morecambe Bay Health and Care Partners

Interactive, multi-sensory resources have inspired students to consider future careers in Health and Care. Learners have the opportunity for experiential learning with practical activities to highlight clinical skills such as empathy, resilience and compassion.

REACT Foundation

Supported by Inspira mentoring, the ICanToo programme offered exciting and engaging experiences for students to give them an insight into career opportunities in science and engineering, with students being encouraged to consider HE.

University of Cumbria (UoC) and Kendal College

Supported by Lancaster University, Life Skills sessions prepare learners for independent living and the transition into work-based learning or university. All learners received an updated Piggy Bank Guide and a new Piggy Bank website was created: thepiggybank.org.uk

UoC with Carlisle College, Kendal College and the Royal Society of Biology The Festival of Biology event engaged science teachers in CPD. The aim of the CPD was to support the delivery of the A Level curriculum and broader Biology teaching.

Workington Academy

Videos about various careers pathways and routes into those careers were created to share with pupils, parents and carers via social media. Content includes degree apprenticeships, university degrees, building skills, interviews and work experience.

Phase 2 Evaluation Aspiration

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We have held a number of interactive sessions dedicated to reflecting on what evaluation looked like in Phase 1 and how the partnership hopes evaluation will look and be embedded for Phase 2.

Evaluation Responsibilities Across Hello Future

In Phase 2 more description will be provided about where evaluation sits in everybody’s role. This reflects practitioner appetite for data collection to be clearer, more delegated and accountable to meet the raised evaluation expectations.

Prepared For Evaluation Requirements

To meet the aspiration for evaluation in Phase 2 and to ensure our OfS reporting is in line with expectations, we have developed a number of specific evaluation objectives. The creation of evaluation objectives reflects the importance of evaluation to the work we do. Our evaluation objectives aim to provide clear communication across the partnership to understand what we will need to do to ensure robust evaluation.

Evaluation Communication

Communication in evaluation has been identified as key to success for a number of areas. In the short term Hello Future will ensure learner time is valued in data collection. We are reconsidering through the design of our data collection tools how we can communicate the value of learner opinion in understanding ‘what works’. In the longer term we are preparing for the legacy of Hello Future. Hello Future aims to develop an effective way to share what has and has not worked (in terms of intervention activities) with partners and stakeholders. The aim of this is that lessons can be learnt from us for when we no longer exist.

Evaluation Capacity Building

The Hello Future partnership has more opportunities to harness the diverse expertise that exists in deploying research methods and identifying methodologies.

The partnership aims to share what works in order to support localised approaches and collectively tackle issues. We are aware of the role our evaluation can play in supporting the aspirations and attainment of young people within Cumbria, wider than the delivery of our programme.