Evaluation of HEFCE's programme of support for Strategically Important and Vulnerable Subjects (SIVS)

Summary

HEFCE commissioned Curtis and Cartwright Consulting to conduct the summative evaluation of its programme of support for Strategically Important and Vulnerable Subjects (SIVS). The evaluation considered:

• the areas of impact, the extent to which HEFCE's interventions have made a lasting difference
• effectiveness, identifying which interventions have been the most effective and whether the outcomes would have occurred without these interventions
• value for money, whether HEFCE could have achieved greater value for money by adopting a different approach.

The evaluation concludes that interventions undertaken through the SIVS programme have:

• been successful in avoiding heavy-handed market interference
• enabled the programme to show leadership while remaining responsive to developments and initiatives by the sector
• sustained provision

and that the overall SIVS programme has provided value for money. The evaluation findings will influence HEFCE's future policy and approach to SIVS.

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