Our Impact Report for the 2024-25 academic year can be accessed below:
Please note this report was written before the North East Raising Aspiration Partnership became Access UNEE.
Access UNEE seeks to ensure all activities we deliver are fully measurable in terms of impact to students. In order to do this, we map each of our activities against the following three evaluation frameworks:
North East Regional Progression Framework
A sustained, intensive and progressive programme of interventions has been shown to have greater impact in raising aspirations and supporting progression to higher education*. The North East Regional Progression Framework has been developed to support practitioners in designing a programme of interventions to help learners and key stakeholders to understand more about higher education in all its forms and how to successfully achieve their progression goals.
Structured across three phases and six learning objectives, the framework is a tool to guide practitioners in their planning of higher education related interventions and programmes of activity which can be applied regardless of the learner’s age, prior knowledge, and mode or level of study. The North East Regional Progression Framework enables practitioners to provide evidence for key components of the Ofsted Education Inspection Framework and progress towards the Gatsby Benchmarks, specifically the basis of a solid careers programme (Benchmark 1), useful for including in monitoring tools such as COMPASS. It is important to note that the Regional Progression Framework and encounters with higher education will provide supporting evidence towards a range of Benchmarks, however additional reporting materials will be required to fully achieve each component.
Practitioners across the North East are also working hard to evidence what works in higher education outreach, utilising best practice frameworks such as the NERUPI Framework to add to the increasing evidence base nationwide. To further support higher education practitioners when planning, developing and reviewing outreach activities, the additional insert outlines how the North East Regional Progression Framework works within the NERUPI Framework learning objectives for pre-application outreach to ensure that all activities can support learners to make a truly informed decision based upon the full range of learning objectives.
Gatsby Benchmarks
The eight benchmarks define world-class careers guidance for young people in England, based on international evidence. They are now used in over 4,700 secondary schools, colleges and independent training providers.
The Gatsby Benchmarks have been central to government statutory guidance for secondary schools and guidance for colleges since 2018. Since then, national performance against the eight benchmarks has more than tripled.
In 2024, following two years of extensive research and consultation, the Gatsby Benchmarks were updated to ensure they continue to define world-class career guidance for young people.
NERUPI Framework
The NERUPI Framework is a method of evaluating higher education outreach against clear aims and levels that seek to compare effectiveness of impact across activities.
KNOW
Develop young peoples’ knowledge and awareness of the benefits of higher education
CHOOSE
Develop young peoples’ capacity to navigate the Higher Education sector and make informed choices
BECOME
Develop young peoples’ confidence and resilience to negotiate the challenges of university life
PRACTISE
Develop young peoples’ study skills and capacity for academic attainment
UNDERSTAND
Develop young peoples’ understanding by contextualizing subject knowledge
