The importance of accessible data
Posted in Views by Katherine Lawrence
A report commissioned by the English HE regulator, the Office for Students, makes it clear that HEIs need to use data to inform their practice. The report references research that "identified support needs in relation to data on smaller under-represented groups such as care leavers and military families". The SCiP Alliance is leading the way in making the limited data available on the distribution of Service children accessible and usable. The SCiP Alliance map, currently showing England's Service Pupil Premium data, but soon to be expanded to cover the UK, enables a user to see at a glance the number of Service children in their area and to understand how that compares nationally.
The report also encourages "the evaluation of higher-education outreach at both the national and local level", something the SCiP Alliance has pioneered for its bespoke model of outreach for Service children and their schools, Creative Forces. The Alliance's UK-wide evaluation was designed by a collaborative project group of evaluation officers from several universities and used by Creative Forces organisers from Bath to Dundee.
Explore the SCiP Alliance data mapping tool here
Download the SCiP Alliance data briefing outlining the distribution of Service children in England
Read the full OfS report on using data for access and participation planning
