Collaborate to evaluate: TASO annual conference 2026

Join us at our annual conference – Collaborate to evaluate – 09:30–16:30 on Tuesday 12 May 2026, followed by a drinks reception.

The event will be held at Woburn House, London WC1H 9HQ,

We will be running an action packed one-day programme, filled with opportunities to learn from peers and experts.

Why attend?

• Be at the forefront of evaluation trends – Hear from peers about efforts to improve equality of opportunity and trends in evaluation across the sector.
• Learn from experts – Engage in sessions with evaluation experts to enhance your skills and get inspired about how your work fits into the bigger policy picture.
• Build your network – Connect with like-minded colleagues to spearhead the government’s new collaboration agenda and foster knowledge sharing.

Who should attend?

• Practitioners, managers, or heads responsible for developing access and participation plans.
• Evaluators working in higher education.
• Third-sector representatives interested in best-practice evaluation methods.

Agenda

Short talks and poster presentations

Throughout the day there will short talks and poster presentations from attendees who have submitted their evaluations. The call for submissions is now closed. These sessions are designed to support shared learning across the sector, creating a space to network, exchange insights, discuss challenges and reflect on what works – and what doesn’t.

Presentations will showcase planned, ongoing and completed evaluations addressing equality of opportunity in higher education. Short talks will run for 10–15 minutes, each with time for questions, and poster sessions will provide dedicated opportunities for informal engagement with presenters. 

Agenda: sessions

Opening and welcome remarks

Improving equality of opportunity: the role of collaboration
Professor Chris Millward (Interim Director for Fair Access and Participation, Office for Students) will discuss how regional collaboration is at the heart of the government’s recent post-16 white paper. What does best practice collaboration look like? And how can it support equality of opportunity in higher education?

• Professor Chris Millward, Interim Director for Fair Access and Participation, Office for Students

How do we address the higher education postcode lottery? 
As participation in higher education increases, regional inequalities in access remain the same. This panel will explore the need for renewed focus on collaborative strategies that target areas with the largest disadvantage gaps and longstanding cold spots. Drawing on their experience and insights, the panelists will discuss how evaluation can support regional strategies and help reduce inequalities in access to higher education.

• Professor Graeme Atherton, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Regional Engagement, University of West London; Vice-Principal, Ruskin College, Oxford; and Director, World Access to Higher Education Network
• Alex Proudfoot, Chief Executive, Independent Higher Education
• Dr Shaid Mahmood MBE, Chair, Association of Colleges; Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, Durham University
• Dr Kate Wicklow, Director of Policy and Strategy, GuildHE

Session 1: Higher education sector paper presentations: pre-entry

PRE-ENTRY INTERVENTIONS: Sector representatives will present their evaluations, followed by a facilitated panel discussion with a TASO team member.

•   A randomised controlled trial of a multi-intervention outreach programme: what happened next?
  – Professor Elisabeth Moores
  – Aston University and TASO
  • Lowering financial barriers to higher education: Evidence from the access-fee waiver
    – Sirin Tangpornpaiboon
    – The Open University
  • Examining success for multi-touch point, pre-enrolment STEM programmes
    – Alexandra Lyons
    – Imperial College London
  • The impact of understanding your place: Hepp’s regional data dashboard
    – Tom Broom
    – Higher Education Progression Partnership

Session 2: Higher education sector paper presentations: post-entry

POST-ENTRY INTERVENTIONS: Sector representatives will present their evaluations, followed by a facilitated panel discussion with a TASO team member.

• Is everything ok? Success in using Compassionate Comms in nudge emails
  – Nottingham Trent University
  – Eleanor Turpin
  
  
• Empowering student success through assessment choice to reduce inequalities in attainment
  – Dr Jake Hinks and Vikki Potts
  – Wolverhampton University
  
  
• Journey of institutional assessment redesign and transformation: Implementation to evaluation
  – Shivani Wilson-Rochford
  – Birmingham City University
  
  
• Learning from evaluation failure but intervention success
  – Professor Sonia Ilie and Dr Ellie Greer
  – University of Cambridge

Collaboration in practice: risks and rewards
This session will focus on how collaboration works in practice. Hear from TASO and higher education providers that have collaborated effectively and what were the steps of putting that in place.

• Professor Paul Morgan, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Pedagogy and Practice), Buckinghamshire New University
  
• Leanne Taher-Bates, Head of Access Participation and Student Success, Liverpool John Moores University
  
• Dr Morag Duffin, Director of Student Success at The University of Law
  
• Jared Patel, Access and Participation Impact and Policy Manager, Loughborough University

Closing keynote address

INVOICE DEADLINE 

Please submit all invoices by Friday 1 May. Any purchases made after this date will need to be paid for by card.

In registering for this event, you agree to the following terms: cancellations must be received in writing (to info@taso.org.uk) by Friday 3rd April to qualify for a refund. We regret that no refund can be made for cancellations received after this time; however substitute delegates will be accepted at any time. If sending a substitute delegate please provide the registered delegate’s full name and the substitute delegate’s full name, job title, organisation, and email address to info@taso.org.uk.