Iona Jackson, Head of Insights, Edurio, Tamsin Francis, Executive Director of People, Strategy & IT, Ted Wragg Trust, Sufian Sadiq, Director of Talent and Teaching School, Chiltern Learning Trust
Over the summer, my colleagues at Edurio along with Tamsin Frances, Executive Director of People, Strategy & IT at Ted Wragg Trust, and Sufian Sadiq, Director of Talent and Teaching School at Chiltern Learning Trust, have conducted an extensive analysis of feedback collected from 175,000 stakeholders across the previous academic year, which we summarise in a new research report.
The first-of-its-kind report - "Improving school trusts” - offers a bird's eye view of stakeholder perspectives on trust performance. As we strongly believe that trusts are built on the people within them, we think it’s vital that no pupil, parent or staff member is left behind. By amplifying the voices of those beyond the vocal minority, we hope to increase feelings of belonging for all those who make the sector what it is.
"The stakeholder insights discussed in this report offer a roadmap towards strengthening our trusts and enhancing our impact in education. The sheer size of the dataset should pique the interest of trust leaders, prompting them to reflect on their own trust’s approach and opportunities to improve.”
Sufian Sadiq, Director of Talent and Teaching School at Chiltern Learning Trust
Integrating stakeholder feedback as a means to stronger governance and leadership
As we highlight in the report, trust leaders diligently collect input from stakeholders with 99% of those surveyed collecting feedback from staff, parents, and pupils. While 37% of parents observe their feedback to the school having an impact, 34% of staff observe the impact of their feedback to the leadership. Just under two out of five (37%) pupils feel that pupil opinion is valued in their school. It’s clear that the current approach to collecting feedback can be improved to ensure that everyone feels heard and valued.
Tamsin summarises:
"With only about two out of five stakeholders having a positive perception of how their opinion is valued, we are confronted with the challenge of how to better engage our communities.
However, I am optimistic that the sector is and can do some innovative work to ensure the large number of stakeholders who responded more negatively this time can see that their voice has a positive impact. We have a responsibility as leaders in education to ensure that we hear from those who feel less represented, ensuring system development is not overly influenced by those who are already best served.
At Ted Wragg Trust, we are implementing a more systematic approach to our surveys so that they are carefully integrated into our structures and cycles of business for school improvement, including our local governance approach. Surveys are a vital tool for evaluating current improvement plans and informing future strategy, revealing any blind spots for the schools and the trust as a whole.”
Other key findings from the review
High-Quality and Inclusive Education: Curriculum and Learning
Pupil feedback indicates a need for a more cohesive curriculum that builds on students' prior knowledge and delivers better student outcomes. Only 45% of pupils think their lessons build on prior knowledge and 51% feel confident about studying independently.
"More than ever, there appears to be tension between high-quality education and inclusion, which means different things to pupils, parents and educators depending on their definition of inclusion. Nationally, we know that an increasing number of pupils require something additional to, or different from, others within the classroom.”
Tamsin Frances, Executive Director of People, Strategy & IT at Ted Wragg Trust
High-Quality and Inclusive Education: Pupil Behaviour
A well-managed classroom environment is helpful for effective learning. However, three in four (73%) pupils state their learning has been disrupted because of someone’s behaviour and 20% of school staff report having experienced emotional or physical violence from a pupil.
"The data on pupil behaviour particularly stood out, in light of ongoing debates about worsening behaviour after the pandemic. The report illustrates how pupil and staff perceptions align on the level of disruption caused by poor behaviour.
About four out of five pupils, and a similar proportion of staff, report that pupil behaviour is sometimes or often disruptive, and the fact that 20% of staff in our sector have experienced emotional or physical violence from pupils is deeply concerning.”
Sufian Sadiq, Director of Talent and Teaching School at Chiltern Learning Trust
School Improvement: Trust-led Knowledge Sharing
Staff members are not fully satisfied with existing knowledge-sharing cultures in trusts. Only 56% of staff report that knowledge and good practice are shared well.
Compared to staff (37%), parents are more positive regarding the benefits of being part of a trust. About 46% of parents think it is a beneficial arrangement for pupils.
Workforce: Workforce Dynamics
Staff generally report having positive line management interactions. However, there is a perceived gap between staff and leadership, as only two in five (39%) staff feel that their leaders address their professional needs. A similar proportion (38%) believe that leaders understand the challenges they encounter in their work.
