Parent survey results - should they be shared?

[SchoolSurvey]

Name change but long time poster.

My children's school (primary) recently sent out an MS Forms anonymous online survey asking for parents' views on various topics. They sent one last year too and I don't think they ever shared the results.

Just wondering if other schools did these and if so do they share the results with parents at the end? I'd love them to be brave, transparent and honest but not sure we'll ever see any data/results...

I suppose the question to ask is: "Shared for what purpose?"

Parent and student surveys, in my experience, tend to be for the Governing Board and SLT so that they can use the information in order to make strategic level and operational level decisions. The data collected is for a specific purpose, with meaningful outcomes, rather than a general: "What do parents think of our school?"

We share aspects and what we are doing to address them. For example, we might say: "A small percentage of responders (7%) thought the school should offer tasters in additional foreign languages so, next year, we've invited a Spanish tutor to work with each class for a half-term."

We wouldn't share the entirety of the dataset just for the purpose of parents having a nosy at what other parents put. That isn't meaningful.

Ours does, yes. But they are also pretty much always 100% super positive with lovely comments and a real celebration. So not a lot of bravery needed!

@Iamnotthe1 thanks for your reply, and you make some really valid points. I guess just an overview or some highlights to celebrate (90% of responders agree their child enjoys school) and to boost morale would be nice. And on the flip side like you have said, perhaps a figure where they could be doing more (only 10% agreed there is enough after school provision in the form of clubs) and what they're planning to do address this.

I just feel they ask for our opinions but we never get to see any results whatsoever. I know from discussions with friends we are all very unhappy. I wonder if the Board of Governors will see the results and step in to help?

@MyBrilliantFriend your school sounds amazing! I'm quite envious.

I wonder if the Board of Governors will see the results and step in to help?

Governors don't really step in to help in that way: they aren't educational experts after all. They ask questions to hold the leadership of the school to account and the school have to be able to adequately answer them. The best boards have been cultivated by the school to contain a mixture of people with varied and useful backgrounds but, in some schools, it can just be whoever is willing to get involved and stay beyond a year.

And on the flip side like you have said, perhaps a figure where they could be doing more (only 10% agreed there is enough after school provision in the form of clubs) and what they're planning to do address this.

It also depends on whether they can address it. For example, with a response like this, most clubs and extra-curricular activities are run by existing staff on a voluntary basis. If they don't want to volunteer their own time for free then the school may not be able to improve parent responses here without doing something more significant (like a large increase to the cost of said clubs in order to pay staff to run them). But with a low response like that, they will have to answer that question at a meeting of the governors and state whether solution is viable.

I know from discussions with friends we are all very unhappy

Ultimately though, if this is how you feel, a parent survey isn't going to address your unhappiness with the school. You'd need to identify the specific reasons why and contact them directly in order to have your exact concerns addressed.

Oh I email the head on an almost fortnightly basis with my specific and exact concerns and get fobbed off. They are defensive and have an answer for everything. Nothing ever changes. Can't move schools as they're all over subscribed so we're stuck for three years.

Makes sense that as after school clubs rely on staff volunteering that we have none. Morale must be so low there. Around half of the staff have left/are leaving since the new head joined last Sept.

Just wondered what other schools did with survey results. We're due an Ofsted any time so hoping things may improve after that (been in Requires Improvement for years).