At Impetus, we work to ensure young people from disadvantaged backgrounds get the right support needed to succeed in school, in work and in life. For over two decades we have supported more than 80 high potential organisations, working with and helping them to become better-equipped, to transform the lives of the young people they serve. 

But our work also focuses on producing research and using it to shape our mission-level policy outcomes.

So, you might ask: why not focus entirely on the funding and capacity-building? Why bother with research and policy at all?

We bridge the gap between policy work that might otherwise sit forgotten in a dusty drawer by connecting it to the realities on the ground. That blend of direct delivery and influencing system change, to have an impact on thousands more young people, is such an exciting combination.

Susannah Hardyman, CEO, Impetus

While supporting organisations directly is critical, real change requires looking beyond individual interventions. No single organisation can solve the problems facing young people alone: even with good growth, it is hard for a programme in the third sector to reach more than a few thousand young people at any one time.

Research and policy enable us to bridge the gap between bottom-up practice and widescale change, to have an impact on thousands more young people in the long term.

Giving voice to lived experience

Working closely with partner organisations who deliver support to young people from disadvantaged backgrounds gives us unique insights into what works. We understand the day-to-day challenges young people and their families face and which interventions make a real difference.

For instance, our research with Public First, our portfolio partner Khulisa, and School Home Support identified a range of factors contributing to low school attendance and, consequently, low attainment. These include the cost-of-living crisis, unmet special educational needs, mental health challenges, and the societal shifts of the post-Covid ‘new normal.’ This research amplified parents’ voices, many of whom expressed dissatisfaction with aspects of educational policy and school management.

Qualitative research keeps the “user voice” central, offering an unfiltered understanding of the lived experiences of those we support. This work provides a platform to advocate for the most marginalised, ensuring their voices and needs are represented in policies and funding decisions.

Directing our resources

When we work with a partner organisation we take them on a journey – not only to increase their impact, but to prove it. Through rigorous testing and analysis, we ensure our interventions are effective at scale.

One example is our work with Magic Breakfast. Funded by our sister charity the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF), Magic Breakfast helped 106 schools serve healthy breakfasts for pupils who arrive hungry. Setting up breakfast clubs helped key stage 1 pupils make two months’ additional progress in reading, writing and maths, the study found. The key factor wasn’t just whether more pupils ate breakfast, but whether they attended the school breakfast club. The club may have offered more nutritious meals or helped better prepare pupils for learning.

Evidence from research not only helps us to know what works but also what doesn’t. For example, the National Tutoring Programme – a well-proven intervention (tutoring boosts attainment by up to five months) - could have been more effective with a sharper focus on reaching disadvantaged groups and prioritising impact over reach. As a result, the Labour government has decided to delay the roll-out of the school breakfast clubs programme until there is enough capacity to implement the scheme.

By grounding our work in robust evidence, we help steer government investment toward evidence-based solutions, directing resources to interventions with the greatest potential for impact. 

Driving systemic change

Through policy and coalition work, we use evidence-backed data to propose and advocate for policy changes that will create systemic impact. If implemented well, we can transform the lives of young people in similar situations or from similar groups to those we’ve worked with, at a greater scale and pace.

We know that nearly a million young people are not in education, employment or training (NEET). The Youth Employment Group (YEG) was founded by Impetus and partners, representing over 300 organisations advocating for pathways into education, training, or quality employment for young people. 

YEG's “Young Person’s Guarantee” proposed specific actions – protecting young people during economic uncertainty and improving the quality and accessibility of support - to reduce the number of young people who are NEET. YEG's guarantee influenced the Labour government’s National Youth Strategy and Get Britain Working white paper, frameworks ensuring that no young person gets left behind in employment. 

This example shows how evidence-based advocacy can lay the groundwork for transformational change on a systemic level.

Research + policy = widescale impact

By combining insights from our portfolio partners with our own research, we shape impactful, evidence-based policies in the areas of education and employment. And by engaging with relevant stakeholders through our policy and coalition work, we contribute to systemic change. 

Our research and policy work ensures all young people from disadvantaged backgrounds receive the support they need to succeed in the long-term.