Evaluation of the Read, Write, Count Packs (2018)

A campaign to improve the literacy and numeracy skills of Scotland’s children by providing advice and support for the families of children in Primary 1, 2 and 3. Scottish Book Trust deliver gift bags of reading, writing and counting resources to every P2 and P3 child in Scotland. They issued surveys to teachers and parents to assess the resources and received over 1500 responses. KSO research was commissioned to carry out an independent analysis of the data from both surveys with follow-up questioning of survey respondents.  Data from the surveys and interviews was collated into an overall evaluation report, clearly setting out findings from each of the two surveys as well as exploring common themes between the surveys.

Evaluation of the First Minister’s Reading Challenge (FMRC) (2018)

Delivered by the Scottish Book Trust (SBT) on behalf of the Scottish Government, FMRC was established in 2016 to encourage children to read for pleasure and develop a life-long love of books, while supporting a culture of reading in schools and communities. Throughout 2017/18, Scottish Book Trust ran a pilot reading programme in six secondary schools across Scotland. Kate was commissioned to carry out independent analysis of self-evaluations submitted by participating schools and produce a report pulling out emerging themes and conclusions, identifying where additional information might be needed and liaising with the participating schools to collect this.  A final evaluation report was required to summarise the findings from the self-evaluations and the follow-up interviews.

Evaluation of Road Safety Scotland’s Theatre in Education Performances (2018)

Kate was employed by Transport Scotland to evaluate four of Road Safety Scotland’s Theatre in Education performances, which are delivered in primary and secondary schools and in community settings. The work involved interviews with teachers and group feedback from audience members to explore impacts on road safety attitudes and behaviours. Kate led all stages of the work.

Evaluation of Road Safety Scotland’s Early Years Resource (2016)

Kate worked closely with Road Safety Scotland to design a mixed method evaluation of the early years’ resources that included an online survey of nurseries and primary schools, telephone interviews with teaching professionals, focus groups with parents/carers and a detailed technical book review. The published report identified strengths and weaknesses with the resource, as well as future challenges and opportunities for its onward promotion.

Evaluation of Road Safety Scotland’s Learning Resources (2017)

A mixed methods research project for Transport Scotland that involved a survey of schools, interviews with local authority staff, including RSOs and workshops with professionals involved in the delivery of road safety education in schools. The evaluation assessed four of Road Safety Scotland’s main learning resources and made recommendations around future promotion and marketing of the resources to maximise uptake. Kate led all stages of the work, including all analysis and reporting.

Evaluation of the DP Imagination Library for Looked After and Accommodated Children in Scotland (2015)

Kate worked with the Scottish Book Trust on analysis of telephone and online survey data to explore processes for distribution of this Early Years resource. A final evaluation report was produced by Kate who also facilitated action planning for the continuation of the initiative.