Survey of Student Perceptions

Oldmachar Academy

Report on Student Perceptions Survey 2013

e-Magazine

Survey of Pupil Perceptions Context This session we have conducted a comprehensive survey of the perceptions of students 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.

The overall approval rating from all of our students’ aggregated responses has jumped significantly in three years from:

2010

71%

2013

78%

2

71%

(Good to Very Good) to 78% (Very Good to Excellent).

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.

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%



Statements with around 85% approval we take to indicate an area of our work which the young people consider to be Excellent



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.

If there is something that worries me, the school is good 67% 76% at helping sort things out 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 learning 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- 77% 84% tionships and the dangers of drugs, alcohol and smoking) Overall

71% 78%

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Survey of Pupil Perceptions How Good is Our School?

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.

Students report improvements in a number of key areas which relate 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.

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This paints a picture of an improving school ethos.

Our students say that we provide better care from them than they did at the time of the last survey.

This endorses the approach 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.

Next Steps We intend to continue to survey the attitudes of young people towards the school at regular intervals 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 entitlements. 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.

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Survey of Pupil Perceptions How Good is our Learning?

The statements we test relate directly to how young people learn. Fedback shows the impact of some things we have focused on improving for them.

Teachers are working to continually 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. Developments in profiling and Building Learning Power have helped.

2010

72%

2013

78%

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Clearer feedback to young people about how to improve their work, is probably the most important thing we have improved.

What has changed since 2010?

Below we highlight three things that see to have improved since 2010. These are things that happen 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 quality of support that all teachers need to give them. As always, we continue to work on improving these things.

Three things that seem to have improved for all year groups are:

95% 90% 85% 80% 75% 70%

The 2010 S1

2013 S2

S3

S4

S5

S6

Teachers expect me to work to the best of my ability

extent to which our curriculum provides a challenge for learners The way in which teachers provide positive reinforcement 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.

100% 80% 60% 40% 2010

20% 0%

2013 S1

S2

S3

S4

S5

All year groups report an improvement in the feedback and praise from teachers.

S6

Teachers tell me when I have done something well

100% 80% 60% 40% 20% 0%

2010 S1

S2

S3

2013 S4

S5

My teachers are good at letting me know how my learning can be improved

S6

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Survey of Pupil Perceptions How Happy and Safe Are We in School?

The school gathered four aspects of its work together following the survey 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 improved.

The overall approval rating from all of our students’ aggregated responses has risen in three years from:  

2010

77%

2013

81%

8

77% 81%

All year groups reported that all of these things were improved.

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 exploring 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 100% 80% 60% 40% 20% 0%



The actual statement we tested listed a number of factors. Involved 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 improved—we will reflect on this information for future planning

2010 S1

S2

S3

S4

2013 S5

S6

The school helps me to keep myself safe and healthy (e.g. by teaching me about healthy eating, personal relationships and the dangers of drugs, alcohol and smoking)

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 valuable 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 parents, particularly in relation to healthy eating.

We look forward to outlining plans for further improvement in due course.

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Survey of Pupil Perceptions How Well Are We Cared for in School?

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.

The overall approval rating from all of our students’ aggregated responses has risen in three years from:  

2010

69%

2013

76%

10

69% 76%

All year groups reported that all of these things were improved—with the exception of S5.

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 training for staff related to the class tutor role and the role of Guidance colleagues, it is really encouraging to have this feedback.

Analysis

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.



All year groups recorded improvements 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 marginally



The largest improvement was felt by S6 students, perhaps due to the improved leadership opportunities they experience in school, many of which are supported by staff

In recent times we have worked to improve our support 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 reflect on how we can improve these areas further in the future.

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Survey of Pupil Perceptions How Are Our Voices Heard in School?

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 Citizens, it is important to us that these things develop. This involves us listening to young people and treating them fairly—their involvement in decision making is also something important.

The graph (left) shows the overall results, with the 2013 results shown in the red blocks.

The overall approval rating from all of our students’ aggregated responses has risen significantly in three years from:  

2010

65%

2013

75%

12

65% 75%

This is the most improved area of school activity overall from three years ago.

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 element 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 developments, that have contributed to the improved perceptions of young people, including:  

Next Steps



The Student Parliament Developments in Tutor Time Restorative Practice

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 valuable 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 parents, particularly in relation to healthy eating.

We look forward to outlining plans for further improvement in due course.

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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 establish 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.