Allegory project managed a data-driven research project resulting in a story that enabled the Open Data Institute (ODI) to engage directly with key stakeholders and the public, through mainstream media

Working alongside the ODI, we crafted a hypothesis around the impact of Covid-19 on children’s lives during the pandemic and managed a research project with seven partners (including Mumsnet and Barnardo’s), who analysed 17 data sets and surveyed 6,500 school teachers. 

The data analysis indicated that school pupils were falling behind, parents were suffering unprecedented levels of stress, and teachers were overwhelmed; 69% of teachers felt that one fifth or more of their class were behind in their learning. 

We then delivered an extensive stakeholder outreach programme, contacting 60 influential organisations including teachers’ unions, universities, Citizens Advice, the Department for Education and Department for Work and Pensions, to encourage them to support the publication of our report on social media, on the day of the Summit. 

We drilled into the report to find hard-hitting stats for the media, sourcing pupils, parents and teachers up and down the country who were willing to tell their story through case studies and interviews. We prepared supporting blogs, Q&A’s for the press conference and a launch video for the ODI’s 2020 Summit on 10th November. The Sutton Trust, who have 51k followers, retweeted the ODIHQ tweet containing a video of Louise Burke, and added their own supportive comment, as did Reema Patel from The Ada Lovelace Institute.