Wellcome Connecting Science’s Science for Everyone programme is designed to challenge unconscious bias in primary science teaching. The programme provides teachers with training and resources to challenge the misconceptions around what scientists look like and who science is for, with a view to promoting more inclusive science teaching in primary schools.

ImpactEd Evaluation has worked with Wellcome for multiple years and provided a variety of services over this time, beginning with capacity building in 2020 and moving towards evaluation work in 2021 to 2023.

The importance of pilots and testing

‍ImpactEd Evaluation first conducted a Theory of Change process with Wellcome Connecting Science to help them identify the outcomes of their interventions. This was followed by a measures review, built out into an evaluation framework with inputs from key stakeholders across their Education & Learning team. The next step was to design a pilot evaluation, during which we tested elements of our chosen evaluation approach in different contexts, with both pupils and teachers working with Wellcome. 

This testing allowed ImpactEd Evaluation to assess:

• how effective the approaches were;
• how straightforward they were to implement on the ground;
• how useful the data they produced would be.

The pilot evaluation and testing allowed us to identify obstacles to the implementability, replicability and sustainability of Wellcome’s evaluation approach. We provided clear advice on how to adapt the chosen approach to ensure that Wellcome would be able to evaluate consistently in future years, and this revised approach has been employed in subsequent evaluation cycles in 2021/22 and 2022/23. 

Outcomes for Wellcome Connecting Science
The Science Engagement team now have a clearer sense of how to approach evaluation of their school’s programme in a sustainable and agile manner, and in a way that works for their specific context. Our evaluation methodology has enabled Wellcome Connecting Science to:

1. achieve great survey response rates from teachers and SLT in participating schools;
2. generate crucial data for improving the resources they provide to schools;
3. gain a better understanding of how their programmes impact unconscious bias in primary science teaching.

Francesca Gale, Head of Science Engagement and Enrichment, Wellcome Connecting Science

'Working with ImpactEd Evaluation has been a great experience, the team are very knowledgeable and insightful, and they have been pivotal in helping us develop and adapt our approach to impact evaluation across our Education programmes.  Their work on the ‘Science For Everyone’ programme has enabled us to understand where our activities are having an impact on individual teachers but also on wider school culture, which has led to us reviewing and developing  the programme further and provided a strong evidence base for future funding and expansion.'  

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