Report Overview
This report by the Sutton Trust reviews national and international research on widening participation and access programmes to find out which methods are most likely to help disadvantaged pupils get into higher education.
Analysis of existing research in the US and UK suggests that summer schools, tutoring and mentoring are among five methods with the most evidence of success. The research brief also identifies certain features that are common to successful programmes. The overall conclusion of the review is that, while outreach initiatives are having a positive impact, there is a severe lack of evidence identifying which initiatives work.
The Trust hopes to address this by partnering with OFFA and universities from across the sector to undertake a series of research trials measuring the effectiveness of their outreach programmes.