St George’s, University of London (SGUL), is an independent university dedicated to medical and health science education, training and research, affiliated with the University of London. With a strong historical commitment to widening participation activities, SGUL is now increasingly working across the whole student lifecycle to support students from under-represented backgrounds.

ImpactEd Evaluation has worked with SGUL since 2018. The partnership was first established to evaluate the Science Stars programme, and in 2019, it was extended to also include the evaluation of Primary Practice. Science Stars is a sustained tutoring intervention designed to prepare year 11 students for their science GCSE exam, and Primary Practice is a programme run for year 6 pupils that aims to develop the skills required for a successful transition from primary to secondary school, while also building their knowledge of medicine and healthcare

Since the initial co-design phase, ImpactEd has been running   both evaluations following an annual evaluation cycle that includes data collection, analysis and reporting. Regular meetings are held between the two organisations to share updates on how the evaluation is progressing and learning workshops are held to discuss findings from the yearly evaluations.  

The most recent workshop to discuss report findings was held in Autumn 2023 and concerned the 2022/23 Science Stars report. During the workshop there were many successes to share as findings showed that participants’ attainment in science had increased more than the attainment of comparison group pupils, and that this increase was statistically significant for pupils receiving in-person tutoring (as opposed to online). Qualitative feedback from tutors had provided some useful insights that led to a number of programme recommendations related to training and curriculum design. SGUL decided to adopt all the recommendations, committing, for example, to allocating more time for continuous assessment within intervention sessions.

Marlene Copeland, Widening Participation Manager – St Georges, University of London

“Collaborating with ImpactEd Evaluation over the past four years has been pivotal in assessing the impact of our Widening Participation initiative, Science Stars. Their evidence demonstrating significant improvements in Science GCSE grades among participating pupils has not only reassured us of the program's benefits but has also helped us in attracting prospective applicants. Yearly evaluation reports from ImpactEd Evaluation have consistently guided us in fine-tuning our programs for greater efficacy. The seamless and efficient communication with ImpactEd Evaluation has been fundamental to our collaboration, and we look forward to working with them again over the coming year. “

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