Go Higher West Yorkshire’s (GHWY) Evaluation Training programme is exclusively available to staff from GHWY member institutions, included as part of your institution’s GHWY subscription. 

“If you are new to evaluation or want to refresh your skills, then this course is for you! The trainers are extremely knowledgeable and help you learn in a supportive and friendly environment. I would definitely recommend this course.” (Participant quote) 

What is the evaluation training programme?

• Who: Staff at GHWY member institutions
• Cost: Included in your GHWY membership
• Format: 4 monthly sessions (6 October 2026 – 27 January 2027). Approximately 11 hours in total
• Delivery: Choose between in-person or online
• Best for: Staff involved in Access & Participation Plans (APPs) / Access & Participation Statements (APS) / Teaching Excellence & Student Outcomes Framework (TEF) activity or anyone wanting to improve evaluation skills 
• Outcome: Practical skills, increased confidence and an evaluation plan you can apply to your own work 

“Good to have specific time to think/start the work in a collaborative environment.” (Participant quote) 

Why should I attend? 

Strong evaluation skills are becoming increasingly important. Expectations from the Office for Students (OfS) around evidencing impact and demonstrating the effectiveness of APP activity continue to grow, and for the new iteration of the TEF, being able to demonstrate that actions to improve outcomes have a demonstrable impact will be key to having them considered as contextual factors in OfS’s assessment. Being able to evaluate activity and understand its impact – or ways impact can be improved – can also help institutions internally to ensure resources and energies are being expended in the most valuable ways possible.

The programme is designed to help you build the confidence, knowledge and practical skills to evaluate your own work or lead your team to better evaluate what they do, use evaluation findings to improve practice, and demonstrate impact within your institution. 

Within the taught sessions, you will have dedicated time to develop your own evaluation activity with support from expert facilitators and peers.

“The session made me reflect on the projects we run because we always have, and made me feel able to reflect on the true value of what we offer. I will definitely be taking this back to my manager to discuss the way we evaluate our projects and project delivery.” (Participant quote) 

100% of participants on last year’s programme reported increased confidence in evaluation after completing the course. 

Whether you’re new to evaluation or looking to strengthen your existing knowledge, the programme will help you to: 

• Understand the principles of effective evaluation. 
• Design and deliver robust evaluations for your own/your team’s projects. 
• Use evaluation findings to improve practice and demonstrate impact. 
• Build confidence in reporting and sharing evaluation across your institution and beyond. 
• Learn alongside colleagues from across the GHWY partnership. 

“I have also used a programme I run as an example in the activities today, and this is already helping me to understand the programme lot better, and see what we need to do to make the programme more successful, especially looking at impact and how do we evaluate it… It’s honestly been really helpful.” (Participant quote) 

Target audience 

The programme is open exclusively to staff working at GHWY consortium member institutions. 

Whilst the training is primarily aimed at colleagues who oversee, design or deliver activity within their institution’s APP/APS, it will also benefit any member of staff who wants to better understand how to measure and demonstrate the impact of the work they or their team delivers. 

The programme will be delivered by Rob Scott, GHWY Training Delivery Officer, and is suitable for both those who are new to evaluation and those looking to deepen their understanding.  

“A really useful session – really valued the input and the opportunity to explore as a group.” (Participant quote) 

When and where? 

Participants attend one version of each session, choosing either the in-person or online delivery option. 

Session 1: Introduction to evaluation 

Overview: An introduction to the purpose and principles of evaluation, exploring why evaluation matters and how it supports effective practice and decision-making. 

• Tuesday 6 October 2026, 09:30–11:30 (in person) 
• Tuesday 20 October 2026, 09:30–11:30 (online) 

Session 2: Practicing evaluation 

Overview: Participants are given time to apply our evaluation frameworks to their own work in a collaborative, supportive environment  

• Tuesday 3 November 2026, 09:30–12:30 (in person) 
• Tuesday 17 November 2026, 09:30–12:30 (online) 

Session 3: Designing evaluation 

Overview: Learn how to develop proportionate, practical evaluation plans and identify suitable methods for collecting meaningful evidence. 

• Tuesday 1 December 2026, 09:30–12:30 (in person) 
• Tuesday 8 December 2026, 09:30–12:30 (online) 

Session 4: Evaluating collaboratively and reporting 

Overview: Consider how to work collaboratively on evaluation, communicate findings effectively and use evidence to inform future practice. 

• Tuesday 12 January 2027, 09:30–12:30 (online) 
• Tuesday 26 January 2027, 09:30–12:30 (in person) 

Location: All in-person sessions will take place at the Laidlaw Library, University of Leeds campus.  

How do I sign up? 

1. If you are interested in participating, speak to your institution’s GHWY contact to express interest. 
2. Wait for them to contact you to allocate you a place. You will then be sent a registration form nearer the time. 

In the first instance, each GHWY member institution can nominate up to five staff members to participate, with up to two places allocated to the in-person delivery. Additional places may become available closer to the start of the programme. 

If you have any questions about the programme or the application process, please contact Rob Scott, GHWY Training Delivery Officer, at [email protected]