Transforming Lives Report
In July, we completed and had published a summative report that gathers together the findings of the research so far undertaken.
With a Foreword by Angela Rayner, the Shadow Education Secretary, the report turns a spotlight onto the powerful and important work that further education colleges do. We wanted to focus on the social benefits that typically are not measured in a sector that in response to government and funding policies has built up cultures and practices that focus instead on ‘measurable’ outcomes. These metrics alone give an inaccurate and slanted view of the enormous importance of further education.
The project was founded on a simple premise: that for some people further education colleges provide a lifeline and a reintroduction to learning that has the power to transform their lives. We knew this from our personal and professional experience of working in further education directly as teachers, but also alongside it as teacher educators and researchers.
The research utilised a range of methods to capture the rich narratives not just of the students but of their teachers, family members, friends, community voices and employers.
Phase one was centred on building qualitative data through a number of research conversations with people across the further education sector. Phase two of the research utilised two national online surveys – one for staff and one for students – to gather further insights into the lives of those whose lives had been touched by further education.
You can access the report here: TTL in further education Summative report.