P - Parental feedback (A to Z Tips)

With extra efforts being made to keep parents advised about remote learning techniques, as much online teaching as possible being offered, and extra circular activities also underway, many schools are finding themselves busier than ever in terms of communication. However, communication is a two-way street. Asking parents for feedback is a critical part of the process and essential in building a solid relationship.

Key to harvesting quality feedback is to ask the questions you know you may not like the answers to. It is important that parents see this as a genuine request. If parents are not able to voice their disappointment or concern, they can become much harder issues to deal with. The fact that you may have only just delivered your first week of remote learning, should not deter you. It is better to canvas parents opinion on its success, or otherwise, sooner rather than later.

Feedback can be generated via several sources, the greater the number of sources used, the better the quality of feedback will be:

• Live Chat. Live chat is a popular way of generating feedback. You could invite subject classes or small groups from year groups to take part

• Polls and Surveys. Easy to set up and a great way to generate immediate feedback from large numbers of parents. Surveys and polls afford you the opportunity to establish priorities; therefore, you can tackle the items of greatest concern, or those that offer the best majority outcome, first. Positive feedback can also be used to boost staff morale and to promote optimistic messages within the wider school community. If you are planning a survey, also consider whether it can be sent from an independent source. You may find parents are more open and honest if they feel the feedback if not being fed directly to those delivering the current teaching

• Create a group. Parent reps or Year group volunteers could be utilised to collect and pass on feedback which the Senior Leadership Team can then respond to. This is worthwhile over a longer period and is useful for building the credibility of the wider management team

• E-mails. Simply emailing parents and asking them to comment is a more personal way of generating a response. It may prove difficult to manage and respond to in a timely fashion if completed en masse and important feedback may not be captured for future reference. However, it is worth emailing small groups of parents, those of classes no longer covered by remote teaching, or those of specific a year group where the impact of the current teaching methods may be felt more keenly

• Ask for opinion. Picking up the telephone and speaking to parents is extremely time consuming but is the very best way to demonstrate to parents how seriously you are taking their concerns. It is a rare but valuable practice, the impact of which will be felt more keenly than any other method employed

When creating your questions, be genuine with your request to reach out. Explain why it is important that you are fully aware of the issues parents are experiencing, and of the positives too. Keep your questions short and simple. Ask the right questions; do not avoid those you suspect will generate negative response. If a problem needs tackling it is best done so head on. Add a little colour and humour, it is always best to add humility when seeking feedback; the tone, if overly formal, will encourage feedback in the same mood.

Do not be tempted to avoid sharing feedback, even if it is not as you’d hoped. Honesty is the best policy. It is important that parents feel that, not only listened to, but that the school is taking their comments seriously enough to share them.

Feedback is not only a powerful tool that can give your leadership team insights to chart a course through tricky waters but, most importantly, by requesting it and taking it seriously, it underpins the schools claim that parents and their children are held in the highest regard. It is key to creating a feeling of customer satisfaction.

Within the good and the bad, you will find a gem of opportunity and a chance to make difference to what you do and how you deliver it. In short, feedback is the way to keep your community at the heart of everything you do.