Space to Learn: Programme evaluation (National Space Academy)

Challenges

Engaging busy teaching staff and schools in the research process: Teachers and pupils, as primary beneficiaries, needed to complete surveys and, in selected schools, join case study focus groups and interviews, which required close coordination and teacher cooperation within tight timetables. We worked with the regional project officer, leveraging existing school relationships; they approved carefully crafted communications, introduced us to a named teacher and secured consent. After consent, we sent a brief, well-timed follow-up detailing participation, dates and materials. We reduced teacher burden by front-loading information, offering flexible in-person or virtual slots, limiting communications to essential information, streamlining interviews and fitting tools to school routines.

Engaging young people meaningfully and inclusively: Fortia Insight employed a tailored, mixed-method approach – including anonymous writing, small group and paired work, peer-to-peer interviewing, online polling and varied spoken and written formats – to create an accessible, engaging environment that encouraged honest reflection and enabled all students, including less confident and under-represented groups, to contribute comfortably and enrich the insights gathered.

Capturing in-depth and contextual insights: We captured student voice directly at space camps and careers conferences via student surveys and addressed limits of broad surveys with targeted student focus groups (including on-site at space camps). For masterclasses, a teacher-completed proxy survey was the practical choice at scale and reduced barriers from digital poverty and phone use rules. To counter proxy limitations, we triangulated findings with school case studies (interviews and observations).

Engaging parents and guardians and evidencing longer-term impact: We sought to understand impacts on both students and home-educating parents and guardians by running a follow-up survey several months after the home education day. The evaluation approach was explained at the event, with a short pre-communication, and the National Space Academy offered an incentive (tickets to the National Space Centre). This yielded a strong response rate and meaningful evidence on longer-term impacts, sustainability of engagement and ongoing use of resources.

Impacts

Strengthened STEM capital: The programme significantly enhanced pupils’ STEM capital, fostering greater interest, relevance and self-belief in science, especially for those with fewer prior enrichment opportunities.

Development of core skills: Across activities, students demonstrated marked improvements in teamwork, communication and problem-solving abilities, with space camps showing especially strong gains in self-reported confidence.

Reaching disadvantaged pupils via targeted engagement and impact: The project prioritised schools serving disadvantaged communities and, through targeted selection, demonstrated strong engagement, widening access to space education for pupils with lower STEM confidence and science capital and those facing barriers to participation.

Enhanced careers awareness: The pilot significantly increased home-educated pupils’ understanding of space sector careers, boosting their confidence in pursuing STEM pathways and knowing where to find relevant career information.

Empowered home educators: Parents and guardians reported improved confidence and enthusiasm in teaching space science and STEM, gaining practical resources and career knowledge that support ongoing, meaningful science learning at home.

Sustained demand and legacy: The project generated strong ongoing interest from schools, surpassing delivery capacity in its final terms and laying a foundation for continued use of resources and sustained STEM engagement.