The Top-Up Programme: Two decades of widening participation provides evidence of impact on student success against a background of socio-economic disadvantage

Abstract

This paper highlights a successful pre-entry programme whilst providing an example of evaluation research methodology. The key contribution made is the power of scale. As the programme has been running since 1999 with the same aims, academic focus and structures, it provides the unique extent of longitudinal data available for study. Comparative analysis to determine student success outcomes utilised the methodology described by Walker et al (2004), for performance in Year 1 of a single cohort, and was expanded to include statistical analysis of student continuation and degree completion. The intervention group, who participated in the widening participation programme before commencing an undergraduate degree at one higher education institution, is more socio-economically disadvantaged than the comparison groups and yet, we demonstrated no significant difference in outcomes at cohort level. We show that those from the most socioeconomically disadvantaged postcodes were slightly more likely to perform well in Year 1, continue and complete their degree. We conclude the programme engages with and provides the most benefit for the widening access target group identified by the Scottish Government.