Helsinki’s basic education is praised in customer surveys – guardians’ satisfaction with school and education is growing
Recent poll shows that students and their carers are satisfied with school and education. The afternoon activities of young schoolchildren received particularly good feedback.
This year, basic education in Helsinki will be evaluated by first, fifth and eighth graders and their guardians. More than 8,700 students and nearly 4,000 guardians completed the survey.
The results of the customer survey are very good. Overall satisfaction with caring for school and education is high and has risen from a previous survey two years ago. Student satisfaction remained unchanged. Overall parental satisfaction was 6.1, while student satisfaction was 5.7 on a scale of 1 to 7.
The survey was conducted in municipal Finnish- and Swedish-language schools, special schools and contract schools (ie private schools that have entered into an agreement with the city to provide free primary education) in February-March 2022.
Congratulations and thanks to the employees
Parents’ satisfaction with the beginning of school for first-graders rose from 5.9 to 6.2 on a scale of 1 to 7 compared with the previous survey. The school rating given by the guardians for satisfaction with the quality of the afternoon activities also rose and is now 8.5.
– Although we had difficulty finding afternoon activities for everyone in the early autumn, the results are excellent. That is why at this stage I want to thank and congratulate both our own employees and our partners for their good work, says Niclas RönnholmDirector of Basic Education in Swedish.
Caregivers’ assessments of student well-being, support for study and learning, learning environment, and home-school collaboration improved.
In questions related to study and learning support, caregivers responded to statements such as “My child is properly challenged at school”, “The learning materials used at school are up-to-date and adequate” and “My child gets enough support to study at school if needed”.
Parents assess the co-operation between home and school, for example, by telling them whether the school is actively communicating its activities or whether it is easy to approach teachers in matters concerning the child. On the welfare issue, it was discussed, among other things, whether the child was treated with respect at school, whether friendships were supported, and whether bullying was asked.
– The good evaluations of the guardians show that we have done a great and fruitful job in the schools for the learning and well-being of our students. Many thanks to our teachers for their great work with their students every day, Outi Salohead of primary education, says fortunately.
The development of participation continues
The total score of the student survey was 5.5 on a scale of 1-7. The students’ assessment of their participation opportunities was 4.8. In practice, the result almost reached the level of 2020, which is surprising considering the coronavirus restrictions. Schools are further developing a greater sense of student involvement.
In the participation section, students responded to statements such as “I get involved in planning joint classroom and school events,” “My school has clubs that interest me,” or “I sometimes choose how I work a lesson”.
Study and learning support received a score of 5.6, well-being 5.8, facilities and the school environment 5.6 and overall satisfaction 5.7. The afternoon activity scored best in six categories, with a score of 6.1.
Study and support for learning remained unchanged from the previous survey, but assessments of well-being and the learning environment declined slightly.
More than 2,700 open answers from students
Students evaluate learning and support for learning by considering whether they received help at school if they found it difficult to learn or whether they received praise and encouragement at school. Welfare issues looked at friendships, tackling bullying, and whether there were adults in the school with whom the student could discuss things.
For example, students answered questions about facilities and the school environment by telling them how they felt about safety at school and whether lessons were held outside the school building.
Students also answered questions such as “What’s particularly good about your school?” and “How could your school become even better?” More than 2,700 answered open questions in the previous survey and more than 2,200 in the latter.
– We are particularly pleased with the large number of answers. Students have taken the opportunity to make their voices heard. It is now up to us to hear their voices, Rönnholm emphasizes.
The guardians conducted the survey in six languages
The majority of the responses to the guardians’ survey came in Finnish, but the responses also came in English, Swedish, Russian, Arabic and Estonian. The most active were the parents of first-graders.
Most of the students answered the questionnaire in Finnish. More than 700 responded in Swedish and more than 200 in English.
First-graders ’responses were helped by the use of“ emoticons, ”and they were also asked about after-school activities. The survey of fifth- and eighth-graders included a total of 23 arguments, two open-ended questions, and one feedback question.
The results will be discussed in schools
The response rate to the customer survey was lower this year than in the previous round in 2020. Now, 57 percent of students and about 25 percent of caregivers responded to the survey, compared to 74 and 37 percent before the coronavirus pandemic.
Schools will soon receive separate school-specific results. The schools process the results under the direction of the principal and report them to the guardians.
The customer survey is an important tool in the development of basic education in Helsinki. The results will be reviewed next fall with students in schools and with guardians at parent meetings.
– The biennial customer satisfaction survey enables the monitoring and development of school activities both at the city level and on a school-by-school basis. Salo says.
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