sam baars

Sam is a social researcher and evaluator specialising in place-based research, education and skills. He has over a decade’s experience of designing, delivering and overseeing mixed methods research and consultancy projects for the public, private and third sector. His published academic work focuses on area-based inequalities in education and school-to-work transitions.

Sam has written reports on the levers of local economic development, barriers to higher education for young people from underrepresented backgrounds, the growth considerations for multi-academy trusts and the characteristics of effective middle leaders, which now features on the NPQML reading list. Between 2016 and 2018 Sam led a project for the Department for Education exploring school cultures and practices that support the attainment of disadvantaged pupils, based on case studies of 23 primary and secondary schools across England.

More recently Sam led research with the Centre for Social Mobility at the University of Exeter exploring the impact of school closures during the pandemic, and produced an evaluation and cost-benefit analysis of a multi-authority adult skills development programme in Kent, funded by the Community Renewal Fund. Sam's research on school-to-work transitions and career conversations led to the development of the Work Talk Framework, a survey-based tool for capturing young people's work attribute preferences.

Sam is an experienced blogger, podcaster and facilitator and has discussed his research on TV, radio and in mainstream press. Before joining Isos Partnership Sam was Deputy CEO at the Centre for Education and Youth and worked as a freelancer.