January seems to have disappeared very quickly but we have had some great NERUPI events already including Working with Boys and Young Men with Dr Alex Blower from Boys Impact and colleagues from Sussex University and University of East Anglia as well as our working group event Learning, Teaching and Awarding Gaps with Dr Eileen Pollard from Manchester Met. NERUPI members can click on the links to access presentations and materials from the events. On March 20th we are holding a free in-person event Evaluating Intervention Strategies: Opportunities and Challenges for NERUPI members and do take a look at our Peer Evaluation Course asap as places are limited

NERUPI Toolkit Event: The NERUPI Approach to Evaluation - online 6 February This session introduced some important innovations to our approach explaining how our focus on short term benefits complements impact evaluation and improves effectiveness in access, success and progression. Wnd have improved and reorganised the Members Area of the NERUPI Website. Do take a look and let us know what you think and also suggest any changes. We have simplified access to the NERUPI Framework itself by highlighting it on the Members Home Page along with tools and templates to support you, such as the NERUPI Question Bank the MOAT matching tool and the Framework Lite. If you don’t have access please contact nerupi@bath.ac.uk.

In the latest session of the Creative HE Working Group we heard from from two working group members about their practices to generate discussion and how these might inform work in our own institutions. Ellie Johnson from University of Leeds focused on project called Leeds Futures, along with Andy Adam and Na'Ankwat Kwapnoe-Dakup from University of East Anglia who introduced the The Black Humanities Project. TheStudent Voice Working Group introduced Dr Yvonne Chase, Head of Student Life at Newcastle University in a session entitled How Student Voice Changed our Strategic Plan showcasing how their approach led to improvements in student communications and induction through co-designed initiatives developed with students.

PEER EVALUATION COURSE - Three spaces left. Although the Peer Evaluation course doesn’t start until the 8 April we are keeping the group small and there are only three spaces left so do send in your expressions of interest as soon as possible. We have been talking to some of you who are not sure the Peer Evaluation Course is for them because of the time commitment. There are two in-person workshops, three online sessions and a residential plus a Peer Review. This runs from July to September but is spaced out in this way so that you can fit in your SUMMER HOLIDAYS. The course is carefully designed to minimise the amount of time you need to spend to build up the evidence required for a peer review. We are planning the 2025 course now and guest contributors will include John Blake, OfS and Jon Rainford

Evaluating Intervention Strategies: Opportunities and Challenges - in person 20 March This in-person NERUPI event is designed specifically for evaluators and evaluation managers supporting the delivery of intervention strategies. The morning programme will start with a progress update from Heather Bowyer, Senior Officer Access and Participation at the OfS, with opportunities to discuss OfS requirements and ask Heather questions. The next session, will be an opportunity to share experiences and consider the challenges evaluators and evaluation managers might be encountering focussing on the steps and stages of robust evaluation set out in the NERUPI approach The theme of the afternoon programme will be dissemination. Sessions will include TASO on the Higher Education Evaluation Library (HEEL), Dr Clare Gartland on writing for publication and a discussion led by Dr Sally Griffin exploring the ways NERUPI members can learn from and share their evaluation findings to improve practice in the sector.

Annette and the NERUPI Team