The ToWe Project

The External Evaluation Liaison group (EEL) provides independent feedback on the progress and relevance of the projects materials, as a quality control measure, three times during the project (April 2016, January 2017 and April 2018).

This is to ensure the success of the ToWe project by the involvement of external stakeholders outside this partnership who will be consulted and contribute their expertise and advice.  They will play a vital role as external evaluators in evaluating and providing objective feedback on the materials produced and there relevance.  Simultaneous meetings will be held by each partner country.

Each partner country Higher Educational Institute with the support of the Setting Partners will set up an EEL group represented by an early year’s advisor from an independent local authority/municipality (i.e. not from a partner organisation) and an independent early year’s provider.

Below is the list of members:

United Kingdom

• Hazel Moody from Advantage Day Nursery
• Sarah Howard from Stepping Stones Pre-school
• Nicola Norman from Surrey County Council – Sythwood Primary School and Children’s Centre

Norway

• Bergitte Andersen from Regnbuen Kanvas barnehage
• Ingunn Konstali from Gjesdal municipality, services for children and family

Spain

• Inma Piquer from Servei de Llengües Estrangeres. Departament d’Ensenyament.
• Maite Miró Cubias from Direcció General d’Educació Infantil i Primària. Departament d’Ensenyament

 

Background:

The evaluation process will need to examine if the project has made a difference in its field. The bid indicates that this might be through:

1. Enhancing the quality of Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) through the development of new approaches to Continuing Professional Development (CPD) for Early Years Practitioners (EYPs) to enable them to maximise on the learning opportunities of disadvantaged toddlers (18-36 months) through training, job shadowing and practical materials.
2. Improving the quality of provision through a holistic approach using a range of innovative learning opportunities and tools for Early Years Practitioners to develop their practice. Using the prerequisite of wellbeing to support children’s learning and development. (Instruments/Tools/Strategies)

 

These are subjective statements which are then qualified through various sections of the application (and other documents) into a comprehensive selection of evaluation strategies and tools.

Evaluation Plans:

The project has already planned for a degree of self-evaluation thorough checklists, specially designed evaluation instruments, focus group meetings and a discussion board forum. Specific events and milestones will also be evaluated (the content and training events for example). Much of the evidence collected will be formative so enabling changes to be made to strategies and work plan.

There are also summative indicators which are grouped under:

• Product data
• Quality standards
• Communication and dissemination data
• Management data

These indicators (others may be added) will be accompanied by agreed attainment targets.

Terms of Reference for the EEL group:

The role of the External Evaluation Liaison group will be to:

1. Act as an external monitor of the evaluation processes already embedded in the project structure
2. Suggest additional tools, indicators and opportunities for evaluation
3. Sample selected evaluation procedures
4. Receive evaluation results and assist with their analysis
5. Use all this information to produce interim and final reports as maybe require

 

In carrying out this role it is essential that the External Evaluation Liaison group uses appropriate opportunities for critical analysis any assumptions made by the wider project team. It is also important that they take a detached standpoint from the project as a whole (although this should not prevent him/her making practical suggestions from time to time).