Evaluation of Techniquest and Techniquest Glyndŵr school services

This report provides the findings of an evaluation of Techniquest (TQ) and Techniquest Glyndŵr (TQG) services for schools funded under the Welsh Government core grant funding.

Main points

• Both centres have largely met their aims and objectives, although not always consistently achieving against the Welsh Government core grant targets.
• Both TQ and TQG are generally held in high regard by stakeholders and teachers alike; the TQ brand is widely recognised and associated with quality.
• Teachers see TQ and TQG services as relevant to and enhancing STEM curricula, in most cases meeting their needs, with appropriate services leading to identifiable impacts for the pupils participating.
• The report finds that while the current use of Welsh Government funding to pay for mainly primary pupil engagements is appropriate given what we know about the benefits of engaging pupils early, there is also a need to engage more with secondary schools.
• Beyond the obligations for both centres largely focussed on branding and reputation management and governed by the Service Level Agreement which exists between them; the report highlights that the extent of collaborative two-way working between TQ and TQG is limited but improving, and concludes that there could be much to be gained from greater partnership working.
• Both TQ and TQG have built strong networks of partnerships with other STEM support providers and universities, and have been successful in attracting additional funding from a wide range of sources. The building of such networks to help secure new funding sources and for allowing for joint delivery, signals an important direction of travel for the two centres, with opportunities available to further enhance this.

Recommendations

• The report makes thirty one recommendations across a wide range of issues. Of these, 12 are specifically for Welsh Government.