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Research and Evaluation in Access and Participation
Research and Evaluation
The Access and Participation team is dedicated to ensuring that our programme of strategic interventions from our Access and Participation Plan, activity, and policies are both measurable and impactful. We pride ourselves on taking an evidence-based and outcome led approach to our projects and practice.
From designing evaluation plans and theories of change, to developing evaluative tools such as surveys, focus groups and interviews, and conducting data analysis and report writing – our practitioners embed research and evaluation into our projects from conception.
The team publishes all Evaluation Reports and Impact Summaries as required by the Office for Students.
Additionally, it's important that our research outputs are aligned to the strategic interventions of our Access and Participation Plan and aim to address issues specific to AUB’s unique context. It's expected that any original research undertaken contributes to regional and national discourses in the Access and Participation arena.
We regularly collaborate with other departments across AUB, and with external organisations to develop and ensure our research is impactful and relevant across local and national issues.
Published reports and papers
All Access AUB is our flagship post-16 access programme, specifically designed to support entry to creative Higher Education.
Take a look at the report from our first cohort of students in 2022 and the following 2023 cohort to learn what impact this scheme has had on the participants and recommendations for future All Access AUB activity.
- 2025–26 All Access AUB Evaluation Report
- 2025–26 Transition to Creative HE Day Impact Summary
- 2025–26 Exhibition and Celebration Event Impact Summary
- 2025–26 Portfolio Support Impact Summary
- 2025–26 Summer Residential Impact Summary
- 2024–25 All Access AUB Evaluation Report
- 2024–25 Summer Residential Impact Summary
- 2024–25 Exhibition and Celebration Event Impact Summary
- 2024–25 Transition to Creative HE Day Impact Summary
- 2023–24 All Access AUB Evaluation Report
- 2022–23 All Access AUB Evaluation Report
Our Being a Boy project provides space for young men to creatively engage with the role of masculinity in their day-to-day lives.
Read about our key findings from the Being a Boy 2022 and Being a Boy 2023 activity and recommendations for future iterations of the project.
AUB has designed a progression framework to support students who have experience of care and/or estrangement through the student lifecycle. This longitudinal study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of the framework to meet its intended aims and outcomes. It follows each cohort of students from enrolment to graduation and beyond, collecting data from surveys, focus groups and monitoring forms.
More information about the support we offer to our students with experience of care and/or estrangement can be found on our website.
Published in April 2025, and produced in partnership between AUB, Boys’ Impact, and MYTIME Young Carers - the Boys Who Care report shines a light on the experience of young male carers in the UK education system.
Conference papers
This will be updated regularly throughout the academic year of 2026–27 as our Access and Participation team attends and presents at various conferences.
- Whittaker, L. (2027, January). Supporting care experienced and estranged students throughout the whole student lifecycle. HELOA National Conference, Newcastle
- Ball, E. (2026, September 9-10). Being a Boy Project - Measuring Impact with Taking Boys Seriously Principles and Evaluation Stars. Boys' Impact National Conference, Bournemouth
- Whittaker, L. (2026, June 25). What does success really look like? Rethinking evaluation in Widening Participation. FACE National Conference, Peterborough
- Whittaker, L. (2026, February 17). Running an Effective Summer School. HELOA Professional Development Conference, Online
- Ball, E. (2026, January 15). Being a Boy – The Project so Far. Manchester Metropolitan University and Greater Manchester Higher Widening Participation Professional Network, Online
- Ball, E. (2025, September 10–11). Being a Boy: Transform. Boys' Impact National Conference, Manchester
- Blower, A., & Tennant, A. (2025, April 23-25). Boys who care: Inequality and the educational identities of young male carers. British Sociological Association Annual Conference, Manchester
- Venables, K. (2024, October 24-25). Engaging with Alternative Provisions. HELOA New Practitioners Conference, Nottingham
- Venables, K. (2024, September 11-12). Being a Boy: Identity. Boys’ Impact Conference: Energise and Mobilise, Wolverhampton
- Tennant, A., & Johnson, D. (2024, September 11-12). Boys who Care: Exploring the Negotiation of Young Male Carers’ Educational Identities and Future Orientations. Boys’ Impact Conference: Energise and Mobilise, Wolverhampton
- Venables, K. (2024, May 23-24). Engaging with Alternative Provisions. HELOA New Practitioners Conference, Leeds
- Venables, K. (2024 March 7). NEACO’s Free School Meals Community of Practice. Network for East Anglian Collaborative Outreach, Online
