Tellus4 and beyondAlison Thompson

Analysis and Rsearch Division

The Survey

annual survey covers years 6, 8 and 10 includes all types of mainstream schools (primary, middle,

secondary, academies, PRUs and special schools, and Services Children Education)

inclusive of vulnerable and hard to reach groups such as children with SEN and disabilities

seeks CYP perceptions of, and experiences and satisfaction with universal services available to them (but not specialist services)

Changes to the survey process and content

Change of timing – from Summer to Autumn

Opportunity to increase sample size – numbers of schools and children and young people

Optional additional questions for LAs and schools – up to 4 from a question bank

Amended questions while retaining consistency for National Indicators

Improved accessibility – versions for people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities

Improved accessibility Three versions developed

– Audio– Symbol– Signed (British Sign Language)

Questions amended slightly when ‘translated’

Completed by around 2% of the sample of children and young people as follows:

– Audio – 2800– Symbol – 1800– Signed – 600

Survey response

Survey live for 7 weeks from October 5th 2009

Administered through the Tellus4 portal

Response:– Around 254,000 children and young people in years 6, 8 and 10– Around 3,700 schools– 151 LAs and Service Children’s Education

Analysis

Data weighted at LA level: gender, age group and deprivation

Design effects calculated

NI calculations follow agreed formula

LAs excluded from NI calculations where they have insufficient responses

National Indicator findingsIndicator Tellus3

recalc

Tellus4

NI50 62.6% 56% A lower % this year have ‘good’ emotional health and wellbeing

NI69 50.1% 28.8% A much lower % this year report being bullied.

NI110 68.2% 65.8% A slightly lower % this year participating in positive activities.

NI115 9.3% 9.8% A marginally higher % this year engaging in substance misuse.

NI199 46.4% 54% A higher % this year happy with parks and play areas.

Key findings

Most children and young people feel happy about life, have good friends and are positive about their school in terms of giving them useful skills and knowledge, and giving them feedback on their progress.

The majority plan to remain in learning and about six out of ten intend to go to university/higher education in future.

Although some experience bullying, which is often at least weekly for those who do, most feel that their school deals well with bullying.

Many are active both during and after school and at the weekends, particularly boys, and say that they eat some fruit and vegetables typically three to four pieces a day.

The majority do not smoke or take drugs and the majority of those who have tried alcohol do not get drunk regularly.

Around three out of five children and young people say that they participate in group activities led by an adult and around half are satisfied with parks and play areas.

Further details

The Research Report will be available on the DCSF research website at the end of March:

www.dcsf.gov.uk/research

Children’s Plan

The 2007 Children’s Plan committed DCSF to developing wellbeing indicators, to ensure that schools would be measured and rewarded for their contribution to children’s overall wellbeing as well as standards achieved.

DCSF and Ofsted subsequently launched a consultation on school-level wellbeing indicators in 2008.

Wellbeing indicators

The joint DCSF/Ofsted consultation proposed 25 wellbeing indicators. These were:

related to quantified outcomes

(eg school attendance rate; take-up of school lunches); or

related to pupils’ and parents’ perceptions

(eg the extent to which the school promotes healthy eating; the extent to which pupils feel safe)

Be Healthy

(the school) promotes healthy eating promotes exercise and a healthy lifestyle and (for younger

children play) discourages smoking, consumption of alcohol and use of

illegal drugs and other harmful substances gives good guidance on relationships and sexual health helps pupils to manage their feelings and be resilient

Stay safe

(pupils) feel safe experiences of bullying know who to approach if they have a concern

Enjoy and achieve

(school) provides a good range of additional activities offers the opportunity at 14 to access a range of curriculum

choices

(pupils) enjoy school are making good progress

Make a positive contribution

(schools) promotes equality and counteracts discrimination gives pupils good opportunities to contribute to the local

community helps people of different backgrounds to get on well, both in

the school and in the wider community

(pupils) feel listened to are able to influence decisions in the school.

Achieve economic wellbeing

(schools) helps pupils gain the knowledge and skills they will need in the

future supports pupils to make choices that will help them progress

towards a chosen career/subject of further study

School Report Card

The 2009 Schools White Paper raised the bar further.

It set out the goal that school-level wellbeing indicators should play a central part in the school accountability system, feeding into the inspection process and the School Report Card.

It also set out the ambition that the Report Card would feature parents’ and pupils’ satisfaction with their school overall.

The use of data in the Report Card means that the information must be extremely statistically robust.

We have considered top-down and bottom-uproutes for capturing data.

Tellus

Ministers have agreed that we should develop Tellus as the vehicle for collecting pupils’ views

Plan to roll the survey out to all schools

We intend to develop the questionnaire toto provide robust pupil level data to provide the wellbeing measure on the School Report Card as well as robust local area and national data to support National Indicators and PSAs