Dear Parents and Carers of Students in Years 4, 5, and 6,
Our school is taking part in the second Tell Them From Me student survey. The survey will provide us with valuable feedback on what our students think about school life, how engaged they are with school, and the different ways that teachers interact with them. Schools in Australia and around the world have used the Tell Them From Me survey to help them improve. The survey is completed online and is run by an independent research company, The Learning Bar, which specialises in school-based surveys.
Staff in schools will not be able to identify individual students from their responses. To ensure confidentiality, participating students will receive a unique username and password that is not matched to their name. Where fewer than five students respond to a question, the results will be suppressed. The survey typically takes 30 minutes or less to complete and will be administered by the school during normal school hours. Once the surveys are completed by students, reports are prepared and in most cases are available to schools within three business days.
As well as schools getting student feedback, the Department of Education, through the Centre for Education Statistics and Evaluation (CESE), has access to data from across NSW and is running a research project to look at state-wide patterns of student wellbeing, engagement, and effective teaching practices. The research is looking at how these things impact student outcomes, including academic performance. Individual students will not be identified in any CESE publications, and all information will be handled in accordance with the relevant privacy legislation. Students’ personal information will not be disclosed by the department to any other person or body other than as required by law.
This research will help schools in New South Wales to better understand how to improve student wellbeing and engagement. It will also help teachers and principals discuss what works to improve student outcomes.
Participating in the survey is entirely voluntary. Your child will not take part if either you or your child do not wish. If during the survey, your child is uncomfortable, he/she can choose to stop the survey at any time. The majority of questions in the survey can be skipped.
If you do not want your child to take part in the survey, please complete the attached digital form and submit it by Thursday 5 September 2024.
More information about the survey and the research is available on the CESE website: http://surveys.cese.nsw.gov.au/information-for-parents
Mrs Lisa Crawford
PRINCIPAL