Nexus Meets… Cosmos

In our Nexus Meets series, we chat to members of our community to learn more about them and who they’d like to work with.

Hello. I’m Sarah, the co-founder and research director at Cosmos. We work in the education sector, focusing on improving outcomes for disadvantaged students. 

Our primary role is delivering insights that provide a clear direction on what will—and won’t—drive better outcomes for disadvantaged students. We’re particularly well known for our work with underrepresented students and our research in this area. To date, we’ve conducted studies with well over 100,000 disadvantaged students. 

We’ve been doing this for quite some time, and research in this field remains our main focus and goal. 

When clients come to us, we often see three key challenges—especially in the area of access and participation. 

The first challenge is that our clients want to understand which interventions resonate with students. They need both qualitative insights and the data to support their decisions. This isn’t just about students as a general group, but also about identifying specific subgroups and the activities that work best for them. 

The second challenge is gaining deep insight into which interventions truly drive measurable outcomes. Clients want to be sure that if they invest in an intervention, it will have the intended impact. 

The third challenge is building a robust evidence base. This is particularly difficult in our field because evaluating interventions requires multiple layers of analysis. Understanding what works, why it works, and the impact it has on students is complex but essential. 

To address these challenges, we’ve developed a proven methodology called the Student Outcomes Blueprint. This framework is built on five key principles, informed by our research and extensive experience in the sector. It provides a structured approach to evaluating and measuring interventions for students—ensuring they are as effective as possible. 

When we work with clients to embed this methodology, they see tangible benefits. 

Firstly, they develop a much stronger evidence base, allowing them to identify interventions that genuinely work for their students—especially in their local region. It’s important to note that not all interventions work universally; their success often depends on regional factors. 

Secondly, the blueprint removes the guesswork. In this sector, it’s often difficult to predict which initiatives will truly resonate with students. By using an evidence-based approach, our clients can make informed decisions and implement interventions that are more likely to succeed on the first attempt. This is especially important in the current climate, where budgets are under scrutiny and every investment needs to demonstrate value. 

Lastly, the blueprint helps establish a sustainable framework for evaluating interventions. It enables organisations to consistently measure outcomes and build on their existing evidence base over time. 

We’re always open to collaborations and partnerships, particularly with other Nexus community members working in the field of children’s education and student outcomes. 

We also offer a free educator newsletter, which you can sign up for via our website or my LinkedIn page. It includes practical tools and resources, such as: 

• Strategies for engaging hard-to-reach students 

• Guides on conducting focus groups with younger students 

• Our Lightning Skills video series, featuring quick, actionable tips 

• Interviews with thought leaders in education 

• Thought pieces on access to higher education 

Additionally, we host the Student Outcomes Podcast, where we explore key issues around parity and access to education. You can find it on Spotify and YouTube.

We’re committed to giving back to the sector, and we hope these resources prove valuable. Please do check them out and follow us for updates.