UK SBS BLOJEU-CR150089HEFCE HE provider sponsored academies, university technical colleges and free schools: case studies and themes

Aims and scope

• The aim of this study is to gather and evaluate qualitative information on the experiences of institutions involved in sponsorship of academies, the development of UTCs and establishment of free schools. The consultants should engage with the 20 institutions that have signalled a willingness to participate in face to face or telephone interviews to understand their experiences of entering into and maintaining these relationships with schools. The key research questions should cover the following areas:

Background

• Nature, scale and scope of relationship – type of sponsorship arrangement, how the institution works with the school, how the institution works with other partners, how these relationships are managed
• Motivations of relationship – the reasons for the institution and school entering into a sponsorship relationship
• Challenges – how were these overcome

Resources – the resources required to set up and maintain a sponsorship relationship with school

Outcomes

• Benefits of sponsorship – to the institution, its staff, its students, the school staff and pupils, and the wider community

Evaluation – how the impact of the sponsorship relationship is monitored and evaluated

Lessons learned

• Lessons for others – advice to other HE providers considering sponsorship relationships with schools
• The institutions identified by HEFCE for the study include those that sponsor a single or very small number of academies, lead a multi academy trust, have developed a UTC, and established a free school.
• In addition to the individual case studies covering the various arrangements described in para 14, HEFCE also requires an overview of the common themes to emerge from the case studies.

Outputs

• The key outputs from the study will be a series of 20 case studies and a separate thematic overview report. The case studies and thematic overview reports should be submitted to HEFCE by end of February 2016.

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