External Resources

Click here to open the Better Evaluation resources.

Better Evaluation is an international collaboration to improve evaluation practice and theory by sharing and generating information about options (methods or processes) and approaches. 

Click here to open Creative Research Solutions' sample size calculator.

The calculator can be used to determine how many people you need to collect data from to get results that reflect the target population as precisely as needed. You can also find the level of precision you have in an existing sample.

Click here to open the Physical Activity and Sport Evaluation Toolkit

This toolkit was produced by the East Midlands County Sports Partnership and the University of Derby, and published by the County Sports Partnership Network. It can help you identify tools and methods to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of physical activity interventions, beyond those offered in our Question Bank.

Click here to open the HACT social value calculator and accompanying guide.

The HACT social value calculator was designed to help housing providers measure the social impact of community investment.

Click here to open the Information Commissioner's Office guide. It explains the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) for those with day-to-day responsibility for data protection.

Click here to open the Inspiring Impact resources.

Inspiring Impact is managed and delivered by seven organisations. They are aiming to help make high quality impact measurement the norm in the non-profit sector.

Click here to open Sport England's Economic Evaluation Tool

The Economic Evaluation Tool - MOVES - that has been developed by Sport England is designed to show the return on investment for health of sport and physical activity projects, programmes and interventions.

Click here to open the Research Buyers Guide

The Market Research Society has developed this online tool to help organisations to find professionally accredited research and evaluation suppliers to support their funding stream, programme or project evaluation. The search function enables a search to be conducted by location, market sector, research services required or by the area of expertise of the research/evaluation agency.

Click here to open the National Audit Office's Practical Guide to Sampling.

The guide provides informal and practical advice on the complete survey process, from design to reporting.

Click here to view NCVO's Impact guidance.

Impact and evaluation guidance for voluntary organisations.

Click here to view NPC's Four Pillar Approach: clear, practical guidance on how to plan, develop and conduct effective impact measurement.

NPC is a charitable body that provides support and assistance to the charity sector.

Click here to open NPC's practical guide to creating a theory of change (2014).

Click here to open their 'theory of change in ten steps' (2019).

NPC is a charitable body that provides support and assistance to the charity sector. Their theory of change guides can help in the early stages of planning and developing your M&E approach by ensuring you are clear about the outcomes you want to deliver and how you intend to do this.

Click here to view all NPC publications, and use the filters to search for those relating to Measurement and Evaluation, Leading Impact, Reporting and others.

NPC is a charitable body that provides support and assistance to the charity sector.

Click here to open the ONS What Works Wellbeing guidance.

The ONS What Works Wellbeing guidance provides advice and a set of four questions to measure personal wellbeing.

Click here to open Public Health England's Standard Evaluation Framework

Public Health England's Standard Evaluation Framework has been developed to help organisations that design and implement physical activity interventions with health-related outcomes. This framework provides guidance on how to identify appropriate outcomes and how to define and apply measures for those outcomes.

Click here to open Sport England's Local Economic Model

Sport England's Local Economic Model enables users to produce area-based (local authority, county sport partnership and local enterprise partnership) estimates on sports’ contribution to the local economy in the form of business output (GVA), jobs and wider benefits such as health.

Click here to open Sport England's 'Research Guide'

The Sport England Research Guide provides practical guidance and assistance to organisations and individuals who seek to carry out research to better understand the audiences and customers they are trying to reach. The guide includes tips on how to set clear research objectives, develop an approach and select appropriate tools to obtain the insight you need.

Click here to open Sport England's Sport Outcomes Evidence Review.

Sport England's Sport Outcomes Evidence Review aims to demonstrate the contribution that sport and physical activity make to the outcomes in Sporting Future, the Government's strategy for sport. It also identifies what makes some interventions work.

Click here to open the Sport for Development 'Outcomes and Measurement Framework'

This guide is targeted at the sport for development sector and aims to provide information and guidance about how to articulate the value of sport for development programmes and show the benefits they can deliver through consistent impact measurement.

Click here to open the Sport in Development 'Monitoring and Evaluation Manual'

This manual, developed by the academic Professor Fred Coalter, provides detailed guidance on how to develop and manage monitoring and evaluation systems for sport-in-development programmes.

Click here to view the government's sport strategy

The UK government's strategy for promoting sport and physical activity in England was published in 2015. The strategy outlines the government's plans for the sport sector, including five fundamental outcomes that set the strategic direction for sport and physical activity investment over the next decade.

Click here to open the Treasury's 'Appraisal and Evaluation in Central Government'

The Treasury's 'Appraisal and Evaluation in Central Government' document provides guidance for public sector bodies on how to appraise proposals before committing funds to a policy, programme or project.

Click here to open the Treasury's Guidance for Evaluation

The Treasury's 'Guidance for Evaluation' document provides general guidance and advice on how to undertake robust and proportionate evaluation of policies, programmes and projects.

Click here to view Sport England's strategy

Sport England's strategy for the period 2016-2021 was published in 2016 on the back of the government's sport strategy. Towards an Active Nation outlines Sport England's vision and strategy for increasing engagement in sport and physical activity in England.