It’s a great time to talk to your parents

The end of another Autumn terms comes all too quickly and whilst we all have the best of intentions of things we want to complete, the inevitable melee of carol concerts and nativity plays means anything that slipped down the list is now buried on the desk.

New teachers have found the coffee machine in the common room and new parents (like us) are getting to grips with sending Henry (or their equivalent) with swimming kit on a Tuesday and PE kit on a Thursday, so now is a great time to take stock of how things are going.

We recommend undertaking research of current parents at around this time of year to make sure you are meeting their needs. They all had specific reasons for choosing you in the first instance and it is important to ensure they are satisfied with their investment.

At MTM, we are increasingly being asked to interpret and analyse DIY surveys using platforms such as surveymonkey, where schools have undertaken this research themselves. Whilst most research of this nature is to be applauded, the challenge of interpretation, analysis and visualisation of the data is often overlooked. Added to this, are parents really going to tell you their true thoughts? If I asked you what you thought of my tie, it is likely you would be pleasant or at worst neutral. If someone else asked you, it is likely you would be more honest.

We have all the tools you need to run a survey yourself from a bespoke tool to a question library, allowing DIYers to build a truly effective survey. We can also visualise it and detail key findings to your staff and stakeholders, but why not take the easy route and let us run it for you. You’ll find it cheaper in the long run…