Download - Survey of Student Perceptions
Report on Student
Perceptions Survey
2013
Oldmachar Academy e-Magazine
2
Survey of Pupil Perceptions
Context
This session we have conducted a comprehensive survey of the perceptions of stu-
dents in all year groups. We are comparing the results to a survey we conducted in
June 2010 to see how far we have come in the past three years.. In the next few
editions of our school magazine, we will reflect on the messages which we can take
from this new survey.
In this edition we focus on the overall information we can draw from the survey
overall. We also look at the way in which our young people feel learning and
teaching has developed in the past few years.
Overall, our students rate the
school much more highly than
they did three years ago.
Every year group reported the
school as having improved
significantly.
The graph (left) shows this,
with the 2013 results shown
in the red blocks.
2010 71%
2013 78%
The overall approval rating
from all of our students’ aggre-
gated responses has jumped
significantly in three years
from:
71% (Good to Very Good) to
78% (Very Good to Excellent).
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Overall Ratings
The overall school rating is an average of the ratings the young people gave the school by rating
20 individual statements. These statements correspond to a wide range of issues affecting the
perceptions of young people about school. Students are asked whether they Strongly Agree,
Agree, Disagree or Strongly Disagree with the statement. This four point scale is used to calculate
a value, which is expressed as a percentage.
The table below shows the figures for 2013 compared to 2010. In every case, students report an
improvement.
Statements with around 85%
approval we take to indicate an
area of our work which the
young people consider to be Ex-
cellent
Statements with 75% approval,
we take to be Very Good
Statements with 65% we take
to be Good
No statement was rated lower
than 68%, so no area was found
to be less than good.
2010 2013
I enjoy being at school 70% 75%
Teachers explain things clearly 70% 75%
Staff in the school are good at dealing with bullies 65% 71%
At least one teacher knows me well 78% 84%
Teachers tell me how I am getting on with my work 70% 76%
Teachers help me when I am having difficulty 76% 83%
Teachers tell me when I have done something well 70% 79%
I get about the right amount of homework 70% 76%
Teachers listen to what I say 67% 77%
I know what to do at school if there is something that
worries me 73% 81%
All pupils are treated fairly in the school 60% 69%
Pupils have a say in deciding how to improve the school 67% 78%
The behaviour of pupils in school is good 63% 68%
Teachers expect me to work to the best of my ability 83% 88%
If there is something that worries me, the school is good
at helping sort things out 67% 76%
I get on well with other pupils 84% 85%
I feel safe and secure in the school 77% 81%
My teachers are good at letting me know how my learn-
ing can be improved 70% 77%
Teachers check my homework 71% 79%
The school helps me to keep myself safe and healthy
(e.g. by teaching me about healthy eating, personal rela-
tionships and the dangers of drugs, alcohol and smoking)
77% 84%
Overall 71% 78%
Survey of Pupil Perceptions
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Testing Key Themes
To make sense of the twenty statements we tested, we have arranged them by themes
which are important to our young people and teachers. These four themes are:
How good is our learning?
How happy and safe are we in school?
How well are we cared for?
How are our voices heard in school?
By reflecting on these four things in this way, we can build a picture of the progress the
school has made and consider what we need to do next to make things better for the
young people.
How Good is Our School?
Students report im-
provements in a number
of key areas which re-
late to their learning.
This is a sign that we
have improved learning
and teaching since the
last survey.
Our students tell us that
they are happier and
feel safer than they did
at the time of the last
survey.
This paints a picture of
an improving school
ethos.
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Next Steps
We intend to continue to survey the attitudes of
young people towards the school at regular inter-
vals over the next few years.
In particular, we want to ensure that we grasp
the considerable opportunities that Curriculum for
Excellence offers them and to find ways, at the
same time, to measure the effectiveness of our
work in delivering to them important entitle-
ments. Most importantly, we want to see further
improvements in the quality of the experience we
provide to our young people.
We thank everyone who contributed to the survey
for the time they took in doing so. In the next
few pages more detailed analysis is given.
Our students say that
we provide better care
from them than they did
at the time of the last
survey.
This endorses the ap-
proach we are taking to
providing support.
Students say they are
listened to more than
they were and feel that
they have more say in
improving the school.
This supports the way
we are evolving our
school systems.
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Survey of Pupil Perceptions
2010 72%
2013 78%
The statements we test relate
directly to how young people
learn. Fedback shows the im-
pact of some things we have
focused on improving for them.
Teachers are working to con-
tinually improve learning for
young people. The learning
experience in the classroom is
at the heart of how we help
them to achieve.
In particular, we have focused
increasingly in recent times on
improving the following:
Challenge in learning
Feedback to young people
about progress
Consistent, high quality
homework
Conclusion Our learners are now ore aware of
their progress as learners. Devel-
opments in profiling and Building
Learning Power have helped.
Clearer feedback to young people
about how to improve their work,
is probably the most important
thing we have improved.
How Good is our Learning?
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What has changed since 2010?
Below we highlight three things that see to have improved since 2010. These are things that hap-
pen in classroom and the feedback they provided through the survey suggest that young people are
benefiting from different approaches to learning and teaching being taken. Increasing the level of
expectation of them is part of this improvement, but alongside that is the need to improve the qual-
ity of support that all teachers need to give them. As always, we continue to work on improving
these things.
0%20%40%60%80%
100%
S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6
My teachers are good at letting meknow how my learning can be
improved
2010
2013
70%
75%
80%
85%
90%
95%
S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6
Teachers expect me to work to thebest of my ability
2010
2013
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
S1 S2 S3 S4S5
S6
Teachers tell me when I have done somethingwell
2010
2013
Three things that seem to have improved for all
year groups are:
The extent to which our curriculum provides a
challenge for learners
The way in which teachers provide positive re-
inforcement and praise for learners
The feedback teachers give learners which can
help them to improve their work
Notably, our S1 and S2 students feel that there
is a greater sense of challenge than three years
ago. The S4 rating was slightly lower, which we
will explore—especially since this information
contradicts the feedback from parents.
All year groups report an improvement in the
feedback and praise from teachers.
Survey of Pupil Perceptions
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The school gathered four aspects of
its work together following the sur-
vey that all relate to the issue if
health and happiness. This allows us
to see important patterns.
The graph (left) shows them, with
the 2013 results shown in the red
blocks.
The 2010 results were very good, so
it is pleasing that the young people
feel these things have further im-
proved.
2010 77%
2013 81%
The overall approval rating
from all of our students’ aggre-
gated responses has risen in
three years from:
77%
81%
All year groups reported that all
of these things were improved.
How Happy and Safe Are We in School?
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The Most Improved Aspect
Of the four aspects, the most improved concerns the extent to which young people feel
the school helps them to keep safe and healthy. This element is broken down by year
group below. Since this year we have implemented some new arrangements for explor-
ing Health and Wellbeing issues with young people, including a number of planned days
devoted to important issues, we are pleased to hear this feedback.
Analysis
The actual statement we tested
listed a number of factors. In-
volved in personal health, safety
and happiness: Diet, Personal
Relationships, Drugs, Alcohol
and Smoking)
The approval of students for the
statement was higher for all
year groups, but particularly so
for S1 and S2
The perceptions of students in
S3 and S4 were only slightly im-
proved—we will reflect on this
information for future planning
0%20%40%
60%
80%
100%
S1 S2 S3S4
S5S6
The school helps me to keep myself safe andhealthy (e.g. by teaching me about healthy eating,
personal relationships and the dangers of drugs,alcohol and smoking)
2010
2013
Next Steps
The results of this survey will be processed by staff
and students in consultation activities. We will relate
it to the information we received from the parental
survey we conducted last term, which gave us valua-
ble feedback on how parents saw this issue.
We have also discussed these issues with our parent
council, and we are clear about the priorities for par-
ents, particularly in relation to healthy eating.
We look forward to outlining plans for further im-
provement in due course.
Survey of Pupil Perceptions
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We tested five statements which all
relate to the way we provide care
and support for young people in
Oldmachar Academy. This allows us
to see important patterns in how our
work has developed over the three
years since the last survey.
The graph (left) shows them, with
the 2013 results shown in the red
blocks.
The 2010 results were good, so it is
pleasing that the young people feel
these things have improved.
2010 69%
2013 76%
The overall approval rating
from all of our students’ aggre-
gated responses has risen in
three years from:
69%
76%
All year groups reported that all
of these things were im-
proved—with the exception of
S5.
How Well Are We Cared for in School?
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The Most Improved Aspect
Of the five elements that we have identified from our surveys which relate to care and
welfare of our young people, the most improved aspect relates to the sense our students
have that at least one person in the school knows them well. The knowledge of young
people as individuals by key members of staff is the most powerful way to ensure that
young people feel cared for in school. Given that the school has invested in major train-
ing for staff related to the class tutor role and the role of Guidance colleagues, it is really
encouraging to have this feedback.
Analysis
All year groups recorded im-
provements in the perceptions
that teachers knew them well,
with the exception of S5, which
dropped—we will explore this
issue in school
All other year groups recorded a
large jump, with the exception
of S4, which improved only mar-
ginally
The largest improvement was
felt by S6 students, perhaps due
to the improved leadership op-
portunities they experience in
school, many of which are sup-
ported by staff
Next Steps
While it is encouraging to know that young people
feel better cared for now than they did three years
ago, we can still do better in this area.
In recent times we have worked to improve our sup-
port systems for young people and as these develop,
they should feel the benefits.
Dealing with the complex issues our young people
face is a major challenge. Staff and students will re-
flect on how we can improve these areas further in
the future.
Survey of Pupil Perceptions
12
For this aspect, students rate the
school more highly than they did
three years ago. Three statements
were tested related to how young
people feel they are treated in
school.
Since we are trying to develop the
young people as Responsible Citi-
zens, it is important to us that these
things develop. This involves us lis-
tening to young people and treating
them fairly—their involvement in de-
cision making is also something im-
portant.
The graph (left) shows the overall
results, with the 2013 results shown
in the red blocks.
2010 65%
2013 75%
The overall approval rating
from all of our students’ aggre-
gated responses has risen sig-
nificantly in three years from:
65%
75%
This is the most improved area
of school activity overall from
three years ago.
How Are Our Voices Heard in School?
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The Most Improved Aspect
The most improved aspect relating to Pupil Voice in School is the extent to which young
people feel their voices are heard in deciding how we can improve the school. This ele-
ment is broken down by year group below. Since 2010 we have evolved our programmes
to promote citizenship and respect. It is interesting to see how the young people now
perceive the school as a result.
Analysis
Compared to 2010, all year
groups think that they have
more say in improving the
school, with S1 and S4 recording
the largest improvements
The Respect Campaign launched
in 2011 led to various develop-
ments, that have contributed to
the improved perceptions of
young people, including:
The Student Parliament
Developments in Tutor
Time
Restorative Practice Next Steps
The results of this survey will be processed by staff
and students in consultation activities. We will relate
it to the information we received from the parental
survey we conducted last term, which gave us valua-
ble feedback on how parents saw this issue.
We have also discussed these issues with our parent
council, and we are clear about the priorities for par-
ents, particularly in relation to healthy eating.
We look forward to outlining plans for further im-
provement in due course.
Survey of Pupil Perceptions
Specific Things We Will Work On
Next Steps
The four statements identified above relate to issues that we will working to address
over the next phase of our development. The ratings that the young people have given
them in Oldmachar Academy are quite high, but we are not complacent.
We have chosen them because we feel that we can and should work to improve the
perceptions of students about these things. We are cross-referencing these issues
which students have helped us identify with another set that our parents helped us es-
tablish in the recent survey of their perceptions.
Working with students and parents to improve them is part of the approach we intend
to take. Thanks, once again, to everyone for participating.