A new research report from school survey specialists, Edurio, highlights the experience in English schools, with feedback from 175,000 stakeholders. The first-of-its-kind report – “Improving School Trusts” – offers a unique bird’s eye view of stakeholder perspectives on trust performance.

Assessing national feedback gathered across the course of the last academic year, Edurio highlights new data through the lens of the Department for Education’s guidance on how it will decide which multi-academy trusts will be given the green light to expand. The Confederation of School Trusts also provided a blueprint for the improvement of trusts.

“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

Classroom disruption and violence on the rise

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.

Not only that, but it seems that incidents of pupil violence are increasing back to levels seen before the pandemic – in the heavily pandemic-disrupted academic year 2020/21, 13% of staff reported that they had experienced violence from a pupil in the past three months. This figure increased to 17% in 2021/22, increasing again to 20% in the last academic year, in line with data from 2018 and 2019.

“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

Other Key Findings

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

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.

Governance and Leadership: Stakeholder Feedback Integration

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. Almost two out of five (37%) pupils feel that pupil opinion is valued in their school.

Notes to editors

For more information, please contact:
Danni Fothergill, Marketing Manager at Edurio – danni.fothergill@edurio.com

Iona Jackson, Head of Research at Edurio  – iona.jackson@edurio.com

About Edurio

Edurio is a leading provider of stakeholder feedback solutions to schools and multi-academy trusts. They truly believe that every decision in education should be informed by those at the heart of it – pupils, parents and staff. Their mission is to give education leaders clarity on the things that matter most. So far, their school surveys have supported over 750,000 pupils, parents and school staff.

Edurio’s advanced survey management and data visualisation platform measures things that are difficult to track but vital to understand. Since 2014, they have seen how non-academic data – such as stakeholder feedback – plays a powerful role in improving school climate.  Edurio surveys cover topics such as staff retention, parental engagement and teaching and learning. The team designs surveys in partnership with academic experts and practitioners to address school management priorities and inspection requirements.

Edurio’s datasets are the largest of their kind in England. This data is used to produce national analysis and insights to drive important discussions in education. As established thought leaders, they have become a trusted partner in the sector.

Website: Edurio
Research: Edurio Insights & Reports