Parent View
Parent Survey Results Spring 2023
We completed a survey at the end of the Spring Term 2023 and had a really positive response. There were some great comments that we have shared below and it showed particularly how much our parents value our new approach to behaviour and relationships as well as communication. We also appreciate that there are areas for improvement and we continue to welcome feedback on all aspects of school life. Below are some comments, the survey results and actions we intend to take as a result of the comments received.
New Behaviour and Realtionships Policy:
'I definitely feel there has been a distinctive shift into celebrating the many positives that children can achieve'
'This is a good approach for my child and she is enjoying school much more. I like that there are still elements of reflection'
'Introducing weekly value stars mean more or all pupils can be rewarded and feel important when ‘caught’ following a school value.'
'The new values are pupil and Christian friendly.'
'After speaking to my children it is clear that they understand the new policy and see it as a positive.'
'Mental health for children and staff is very important and I think its very important that is has now been introduced into their learning'
'It is clear to see the positive impact this has had on progress academically and emotionally, we think it is a really good approach'
'Negative behaviour is dealt with calmly and doesn’t cause any distraction to her which is good to hear.'
'You’re all doing a good job. Thanks for all you do.'
'A big thank you to everyone for all their hard work and support.'
'I feel that the staff at school always work very hard to get the best out of my children and any problems or worries I have ever had have always been dealt with quickly and with compassion.'
'There is a wide range of jobs/duties and awards for children which can be a really positive experience and great to reward children'
'Positives - Wonderful school. Wonderful ethos and policies. Wonderful staff.'
'Staff do a great job, it’s been a tough few years, and always here to help'
'St Laurence has had a very positive influence on my child, she is passionate about school, friends and teachers. I have not once heard her have a negative comment about school. I am really happy with St Laurence'
'I’m happy with the school, my child is learning and developing well and most importantly enjoys it. Changes in school have all been positive.. no complaints from me!'
'I think there are a lot of opportunities for children to achieve awards to celebrate their successes at St Laurence, and this is great for increasing the children's self-esteem and self-confidence as well as motivation.'
'thank you very much for all the teachers' and school staff's hard work and dedication and for all the wonderful opportunities that school provides for its pupils.'
'We feel the changes implemented since our son started in year 3 have been positive and improved the experience for children at the school. We also feel students are being given a voice in more areas. He is very proud to be part of the school and the community it is immersed in which reflects how the school encourages feeling part of something. It would be great if all staff could take on the restorative and positive approach. '
Communication
'The communications are efficient and clear. School app is good, easy to use and efficient to receive notifications. twitter feed is very good too. '
'I use twitter and it is a good way to see a visual of the things the children are up to in school. '
'I feel that The School App has been a really useful way of helping to keep track of everything that is happening within school.'
'I feel information is communicated in good time and sufficient detail.'
Survey Results
41 respondents
1. My child is happy at this school:
Strongly Agree - 56%
Agree - 29%
Neutral -10%
Disagree - 5%
2. My child feels safe at this school:
Strongly Agree - 61%
Agree - 29%
Neutral -5%
Disagree - 5%
3. The school makes sure its pupils are well behaved:
Strongly Agree - 51%
Agree - 37%
Neutral -10%
Strongly Disagree - 2%
4. The school makes me aware of what my child will learn during the year:
Strongly Agree - 56%
Agree - 34%
Neutral -10%
5. The school has high expectations for my child:
Strongly Agree - 56%
Agree - 34%
Neutral -5%
Disagree - 5%
6. The school lets me know how my child is doing:
Strongly Agree - 34%
Agree - 42%
Neutral -10%
Disagree - 15%
7. There are a good range of subjects available to children at the school:
Strongly Agree - 51%
Agree - 42%
Neutral - 7%
8. My child can take part in clubs and activities at this school:
Strongly Agree - 51%
Agree - 37%
Neutral -12%
9. The school supports my child's wider development:
Strongly Agree - 34%
Agree - 46%
Neutral -15%
Strongly Disagree - 5%
10. I would recommend this school to another parent:
Strongly Agree - 61%
Agree - 29%
Neutral -5%
Disagree - 2%
Strongly Disagree - 4%
Of the respondents, 9 parents said their child had SEND (we will be completing a more direct questionnaire to include more of these parents). When asked the question if the school supports their child to succeed, these parents answered:
Strongly Agree - 4
Agree - 2
Disagree - 1
Strongly Disagree - 2
Further Feedback
As part of the survey, we asked for more generic feedback about school life - we have put together a table below in the format of 'you said...we did/ will do...'
You Said | We Did / Will Do |
My suggestion is to have more board game clubs like chess, ludo, monopoly, scribble etc.
On another subject it would be good if there could be a greater diversity in clubs for year 5 and 6, especially for the less traditionally sporty and not as confident children such as mine. | We are looking to include these clubs in our lunchtime offer moving forward.
We would love to be able to offer more clubs and are often reliant on volunteers and support for these. We would welcome any parents / grandparents who may be able to spare some time for this. We will also continue to look for further external providers who are able to provide this. |
I would change the pen license. | We have decided that all children will have use of a pen prior to attending secondary school. For this academic year, all Year 6 children will receive a pen after May half term, and then all new Year 6 will use them from September each year. |
My only few suggestions are to see more synchronised communications, event planning (eg. Non uniform days, etc), payment methods between infants and Juniors school, as well as wrap up care sessions, hours and charges etc. | We have really tried to improve communication between the two St. Laurence Schools and will continue to better coordinate events. Unfortunately, we are tied into contracts with payment systems and so this part is not easily rectified. |
Please introduce a policy of crushing any car that parks badly near the school and please make Innage Road pedestrians only at drop off and pick up times. | We take the issue of parking really seriously and have approached the local PCSO, councillor and MP about these issues. We continue to put road signs out and communicate in our newsletters to parents. We have also restricted vehicular access to site and will continue to extend this. Unfortunately, we do not have the kind of power you suggest! |
There could to be a slip from the teacher to recognise effort/achievement rather a formal award this would help to ensure children don't feel demoralised. | We are sorry to hear that children feel demoralised and wish to rectify this. We have generic teacher recognition and praise pads but are looking at getting these personalised for St. Laurence Church Junior School, in order to be more value oriented from September. |
Please can all communications be done through the App as getting notifications via text message is confusing. | We have ensured this is now happening. Only in extreme cases when the app or website are down, will we send a text message. |
I feel it would be useful to use the app for any Friends PTA activities also. | We will relay these messages via the app and the Friends group have a monthly slot on the newsletter. |
It’s annoying when you get a message which says there’s a letter on the school website but no link is provided. Also, I sometimes get more notifications per day than I’m happy with!
I appreciate the level of communication although would personally prefer to not get an alert every time there was a change to the school menu. | We will endeavour to make a link to all letters in the future – annoyingly the software used does not allow for a hyperlink and so it has to be the long URL.
Unfortunately, it is difficult to always differentiate app messages to the right people so we may have to do whole school messages about menu choices etc. We know many find this helpful so children can be helped with their choices before coming into school. |
It is disappointing that PE seems to be regularly cancelled and - unsure why that class are always last out. | We have spoken to staff to ensure curriculum time on PE is not shortened or cancelled. We have also spoken regarding prompt leaving times from classrooms at the end of the day. |
The only issue I have is I feel there is too much homework each week and as a parent I do not have the knowledge how you teach as school so unable to guide and sometimes my daughter will say they haven’t even covered the subject. This causes unnecessary pressure for both of us.
The homework has been a challenging transition for our family but that will be different for each family! We spend a lot of time at home trying to get boys to do their homework. | We will aim to put more parent workshops on over the next academic year in order to support parents with this. The homework expectation is currently half an hour a week plus reading so if you feel you are doing more than this, please do get in contact. Also, we would really encourage you to get in contact directly with the class teacher if you feel the subject matter hasn't been covered in school. |
As detailed above, we always welcome further feedback, either through a phone call or email. We would also welcome the opportunity to discuss further any comments made on the survey.