It is crucial to decide at the outset what outcome you are trying to achieve and exactly how you are planning to measure it.

This is important in part because it challenges you to think through whether and how you can actually collect the outcome data. It also protects the integrity of your trial. If you have decided on an outcome at the beginning, it can help with the temptation to look at several different outcomes and pick the one that looks most promising.

When conducting trials that test ways to improve childcare take-up, there are likely to be two options for your main outcome measure:

  • Applications: Did a parent in the trial apply for a funded childcare place or not?
  • Take-up: Did a parent in the trial actually take up a funded childcare place for their child or not?

Which outcome you choose will depend on the specific trial, your objectives and the data that is available.

Authors

Louise Bazalgette

Louise Bazalgette

Louise Bazalgette

Deputy Director, fairer start mission

Louise works as part of a multi-disciplinary innovation team focused on narrowing the outcome gap for disadvantaged children.

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Dave Wilson

Dave Wilson

Dave Wilson

Advisor

Dave is an Advisor in the Education team at the Behavioural Insights Team (BIT) with a focus on early years projects.

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Fionnuala O’Reilly

Fionnuala O’Reilly

Fionnuala O’Reilly

Lead Behavioural Scientist, fairer start mission

Fionnuala is the lead behavioural scientist in the fairer start mission and is currently seconded from the Behavioural Insights Team (BIT) until March 2023.

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