Selection of user comments

Pupil comments about the survey

I think this test is a good thing because it may improve school life.  I want school life to be improved and hopefully it will with this test.  (Y9 Male)

I think you should have more of these things so you can think of what you want to change in the school. (Year 8 Female)

This questionnaire is a good way to get the pupils’ views across anonymously (Year 10 Female)

This test was good.  I hope my point is across and things change!  Looking at this test I now realise what is right and wrong. (Year 10 Female)

There should be constant surveys like this once every term to check for school improvements. (Year 8 Male)

It has been my pleasure to complete this survey.  I hope the statistics derived from it may be one day transformed into actions.  Thank you.   (Year 10 Male)

We should be asked our opinion more often.  (Year 8 Female)

This is a really good idea.  I am grateful it has happened.  Thank you. (Year 7 Male)

I think that the lessons in this school should be more interesting, but this survey was a good idea because you get to know what pupils really think of the school. (Year 8 Female)

I’m glad I have been chosen to do this worksheet because it has helped to express my feelings. (Year 8 Female)

This survey really made me feel sort of nice telling people about how I feel towards school and what goes on during the school hours. (Year 8 Female)

I feel it was not only useful to you for your survey but it was useful to me.  It made me look at my school life and think about it more than I would usually.  (Year 9 Male)

One good thing about the school is they make sure everyone is happy and enjoying school, by doing tests like these and put it right if someone is troubled.  One way in which the school could be improved is ask or do a survey on how individual teachers get on with the class, because some teachers are better with or controlling the class. (Year 9 Female)

I think this questionnaire is a very good idea because it gives pupils a chance to express their thoughts more easily and thoroughly about what we think of the school in general. (Year 9 Female)

I think this sheet is interesting; I could express my feelings but no-one knows who I am so I can tell the truth. (Year 10 Male)

I love the way that our school offers us opportunities to voice our opinions and I hope that continues. (Y10 Female)

This survey is a good one because it asks you what no one else would.  I hope the school will benefit from it and I hope other schools do as well. (Year 10 Male)

This test was good only if the changes happen soon in this school. (Year 10 Male)

The idea for this survey is brilliant and hopefully the school will take on board what we have said. (Year 11 Female)

I enjoyed completing your survey and am most pleased that pupils’ values are taken into account.  I believe the school can learn and improve from these questionnaires, to become one of the great schools in the country. (Year 11 Male)

I think this survey is a great idea and really helps my school improve. (Y11 Female)
This was a very interesting survey to take part in.  It will be interesting to find out what the results indicate.  I am also wondering what action will be taken on the poorer aspects of some school that this survey turns up.  I had assumed that surveys of this kind are all purely theory and no real action is ever completed.  It would be refreshing to see a better system from the help I have given.  (Year 11 Male)

Parent comments about the survey

I hope that the school will take this information into account and are able to make some suitable changes.  (Year 7 parent)

I think this questionnaire is very helpful because I can start to think deeper about things that I would have never thought about before. (Year 10 parent)

Some of the questions I had to answer ‘unsure’ for highlighted to me how much more information I would like and need.   (Year 8 parent)

Thank you for this, I feel this is very important for this type of questionnaire to be done. (Year 12 parent)

Thank you for the opportunity to provide feedback.  I firmly believe that our children’s education is a joint responsibility between ourselves and the school.  (Year 8 parent)

This is the first time school has asked my opinion and I welcome it.  I have felt very excluded from school life.  Bullying is a greater problem than the school admits. (Year 10 parent)

Thank you for giving parents the opportunity to comment via this well-constructed questionnaire. (Year 12 parent)

User evaluation comments from headteachers

We found the pupil, parent, teacher and governor responses to questionnaires very useful for review and development. We are interested in repeating the exercise…

We embarked on the survey as part of a school project on raising boy’s achievement.  It provided us with many worthwhile areas to pursue – merits, sanctions, pupil-teacher relationships – which were further investigated.  As a result, action was taken.  Pupils enjoyed the exercise and appreciated the opportunity of consultation.  Finances permitting, it is our intention to repeat the survey in 3 years.

We find the survey very useful in a whole number of ways and are now beginning to see the benefits of changes over time.

To date the Keele Surveys (two) for which we have received feedback have been used mainly at senior and middle management levels and have provided invaluable insights into areas, like “the year 8 problem”, which we were already reviewing. However, we do feel that once we receive the results from the last survey, the patterns which emerge from the 3 year review period should be shared and discussed more widely.  We will, therefore, be involving all staff and pupils in future.

The survey highlighted to us some of the areas of the hidden agenda – particularly in the messages being sent out by some staff towards groups of students.  It also put back on the agenda the issue of homework, which the school is addressing.

A positive exercise for all concerned.

We would welcome the opportunity to operate the survey every 2 years as it would seem an excellent way to measure trends.

If the surveys were held on a more regular basis, they could be used as part of the school’s work on ‘value added’.

The survey revealed to us the extent of alienation caused by the many changes made by the new management structure, and our lack of awareness of disaffection amongst our intake year.

Keele Attitudinal Surveys

In a recent Keele pupil survey user evaluation study:

* 89% of headteachers said that they used the survey for stimulating discussion amongst staff,
* 86% used it for informing/adding to the school's development plan, and 67% used it to influence the development of particular school policies.
* 97% of headteachers said that the survey fulfilled their expectations, with 100% of them finding the discussion of responses very helpful or helpful.
* Overall, they found that the survey provides useful information: for review (84%), for management (79%), and if repeated (80%).