About The Brilliant Club
Everything that The Brilliant Club does, we do in pursuit of consistent and reliable outcomes for pupils. Our Research and Impact Department brings together five social scientists who work to understand the impact of our programmes on pupil outcomes. We use this evidence to widen participation to highly-selective universities, and to measure and improve curriculum enrichment.
On this page you will find updates on the work of the Research and Impact Department including the results of research and evaluations, as well as details of the Department’s work with external organisations.
UCAS Independent Impact Evaluation
For the last two years, The Brilliant Club has worked with the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) to evaluate the impact The Scholars Programme on progression to highly-selective universities.
In both years, UCAS found that pupils who completed The Scholars Programme were significantly more likely to apply to, receive an offer from and progress to a highly-selective university than pupils in control groups matched for prior attainment and socio-economic factors.
Read our most recent impact evaluation here:
Previous Independent Evaluations
UCAS Independent Evaluation of The Scholars Programme Impact 2015/16
University of Cambridge External Evaluation
Following a competitive tender process, The Brilliant Club has commissioned the University of Cambridge to evaluate the impact of its programmes on pupils’ cognitive outcomes. The evaluation will be led by Dr Sonia Ilie and Professor Anna Vignoles from the Faculty of Education, and will take place between 2018 and 2020. To find out more, click here.
Annual Impact Reports
Research and Impact Series
Our Research and Impact Series provides three ways for you to engage with our work and that of our partners:
Research
Seminar
Series
Seminar
Series
The seminars provide a forum for practitioners to engage with academic research.
Impact
Case Study
Series
Case Study
Series
The case studies identify some of the key barriers to widening access and discuss how these barriers can be addressed.
Research
Report
Series
Report
Series
The research reports examine how different programme features contribute towards pupil outcomes.
Research Seminar Series
In partnership with collaborating universities, we host seminar series that examine how academic research can be used to inform practices in schools and widening participation. Uniquely, each seminar features a presentation by at least one academic and one practitioner, linked by a central theme. The seminars are particularly useful for academics and practitioners interested in the social mobility agenda who want to have in-depth discussions about the role of research in widening participation – Sign up for our latest Research Seminar Series
Impact Case Study Series
Accessible case studies addressing key thematic challenges in widening participation and curriculum enrichment, and how we have approached them – read our latest impact case studies.
Research Report Series
Detailed research reports looking at specific ways in which we have tried to improve and evaluate the impact of our programmes, including what we have learnt and the translation of research and evaluation into wider practice – read our latest research reports.
Contact Details
Dr Lauren Bellaera (Research and Impact Director) can provide further information on the Research and Impact Series, as well as the wider work of the department. Please email hello@thebrilliantclub.org.