Dear Parents

WHAT DO OUR PUPILS THINK OF ST THOMAS AQUINAS?

As you know, on 21 October I wrote to you to update you on what you as parents think of our school.  Now, as promised, I write to update you on the views of pupils.

We asked our pupils for their views of school in the annual questionnaire that we have run now for several years.  1036 pupils were asked for their views in June 2009 and then last month we issued another questionnaire on the specific issue of safety in school which was completed by 982 pupils.

The Local Authority Questionnaire - June 2009

Pupils were asked to answer 40 questions and to respond - strongly agree, agree, disagree, strongly disagree.  The highest response on the scale is 2 and the weakest -2.  None of the 40 questions produced a negative response and the 10 strongest were as follows:

It is encouraging that in every case the 10 responses were better than in 2008 and 2007 when they were also positive but less strongly so.  At the other end of the scale the weakest responses, though still positive, were the behaviour of other pupils, talking to a teacher if worried about something and school work being interesting.  The last two have improved each year for the past three years and we are monitoring them closely.  On behaviour it is interesting that 93% consider their behaviour to be good which corresponds with our view as a staff that overall behaviour is very good.  However, we must continue to address the issue of the misbehaviour of a small minority of pupils.

The Safety Questionnaire - October 2009

94% of pupils declare that they feel safe in school.

95% are reassured by the perimeter fencing and adult visitor passes.

95% confirm they are taught about the potential risk of dangerous equipment in practical lessons.

95% understand what they have to do if they see a dangerous situation.

97% know where they have to go when a fire alarm sounds.

95% know that our computer system is kept secure by our ICT team.

93% confirm that if they are bullied or worried in school there is an adult they can go to who will listen.

Of the minority who are concerned about safety the main issue, particularly in Year 7, is the one way system on the corridors which many pupils report as unreliable and inefficient.  This is an issue we are now considering.  The other significant issue was the cashless canteen and the need for long queues to put money in.  Again we are considering the possibility of an additional cash machine.

Next Steps

In addition to the two questionnaires parents may be interested to know that the Deputy Heads Mrs Jones and Mrs Kelly plus myself, are interviewing 18 pupils each week in detail about their learning in school as are heads of faculty and heads of year on a regular basis.  We are quite sure that by listening to pupils regularly and acting on their views we will make our school even better in the future. 

Finally, we ask for your support in completing a further questionnaire on Target Setting Day to ensure we are clear about the views of our parents too.

Thank you, as always, for everything you do to support our school.

With best wishes

Jim Foley

HEADTEACHER