1.1.9 Evaluation

Why Evaluation Matters

Evaluation helps you understand how effective your educational visits are. Reflecting on visits allows you to recognise what worked well, identify areas for improvement, and ensure visits provide meaningful learning experiences for participants.

Regular evaluation also helps demonstrate the value of learning outside the classroom to parents, governors, and other stakeholders.

What Evaluation Helps You Do

Evaluating visits supports good practice by helping you to:

• Check whether the visit achieved its intended learning outcomes
• Improve future planning and organisation
• Provide useful feedback to staff and participants
• Demonstrate the impact and value of visits
• Ensure time, staffing and funding are used effectively

Types of Evaluation

Evaluation can take different forms.

Formative evaluation

takes place during or immediately after a visit and helps inform future planning and improvements.

Summative evaluation

looks at the overall impact of a visit or programme and measures outcomes against the original aims.

Both approaches are useful and often complement each other.

What to Review

When reflecting on a visit, consider:

• How well the visit was planned and managed
• Whether the learning objectives were achieved
• What participants learned and how they developed
• Levels of engagement and participation
• Any incidents, near misses, challenges or unexpected outcomes
• Whether the benefits justified the time, effort and cost involved

Clear learning intentions and links to classroom learning can make evaluation more meaningful.

Gathering Evidence

Evaluation does not need to be complicated. Evidence can be gathered through simple approaches, such as:

• Staff observations and discussions with participants
• Short pupil feedback activities or questionnaires
• Parent surveys
• Photographs or videos where appropriate
• Links to follow-up work in lessons
• Review of learning outcomes against agreed objectives

These approaches can help capture both educational impact and practical lessons for future visits. EVOLVE can support the gathering, recording and reporting of evaluations.

Sharing Learning and Improving Practice

Visit Leaders should reflect on the visits they lead and share key insights with the Educational Visits Coordinator (EVC). This may include successes, challenges and lessons learned.

EVOLVE

includes an evaluation section where outcomes, risks and improvements can be recorded.

The EVC may coordinate wider reviews of visits, new activities or programmes. Where necessary, findings can inform updates to procedures, training or policy.

Regular evaluation supports high-quality educational visits, safer practice and continuous improvement in learning outside the classroom.