16 – 19 Transition with GIAP data – Setting Choices

This study is a 16 – 19 ​‘Setting Choices’ project that aims to explore the potential impact of accessing and using ​‘Get Information about Pupils’ (GIAP) learner data on attainment outcomes, particularly for learners from disadvantaged backgrounds.

16 – 19 setting leaders make choices about setting-wide practices and approaches that are intended to improve outcomes for learners, such as how to support learners as they transition to college or how to provide targeted supports for disadvantaged learners. The aim of ​‘Setting Choices’ research is to produce causal evidence about the impact of different setting-level approaches and policies on outcomes of interest, with particular attention to impact on learners from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds.

Setting Choices evaluations are divided into two phases: a scoping phase and an impact evaluation phase. During the scoping phase, the research teams will refine their research questions, verify their assumptions, and explore the feasibility of their evaluation designs.

Learner information is often not shared between schools and colleges when pupils transition to new institutions, and 16 – 19 settings use varying definitions of ​‘disadvantage’ and approaches to identify these learners. Furthermore, how settings use learner information varies significantly.

The GIAP is a system by which schools and colleges identify disadvantaged learners according to the free school meal definition. An EPI review of this tool in 2023 found that while 78% of institutions had accessed GIAP at least once, only 36% of FE colleges had accessed the tool in 2023 (Hunt, 2024). Previous research has shown the value of collecting and using data on learners’ disadvantage status and prior academic results to inform decision making and its potential impact on learner performance, especially for those most disadvantaged (Datnow, Park & Wohlstetter, 2007; Mandinach, 2012; Van Geel, Keuning, Visscher & Fox, 2016). 

This project will help us to understand the potential impact of colleges accessing GIAP learner data on individual learners’ attainment and retention outcomes, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds, and potential impacts on attainment gaps within institutions. The research will also provide insights on how colleges use this data, as well as barriers to access and usage. It will also inform on optimal use of the data to improve learner outcomes.

This project is currently at the scoping phase. The scoping phase will aim to provide a better understanding of whether and how colleges use, or experience barriers to using, the data available in GIAP to improve pupil outcomes.

The scoping phase will be used to understand:

• Usual approaches that 16 – 19 settings use to gather information on learner background/​identify disadvantaged learners (business-as-usual BAU).
• How and why the GIAP tool is being used across different setting types.
• Perceptions about the use and value of GIAP, including barriers to using the tool.
• What practice using learner data looks like across and between 16 – 19 settings.
• The perceived impacts on learners and settings of using GIAP data.
• The viability of an impact evaluation and the planned quasi-experimental design (matched difference-in ‑difference) based on the availability of a suitable outcome measure and the quality. and completeness of the administrative data and GIAP data.