• Home
• About the SPTC
  • The SPTC
  • Contact details
  • SPTC directors
  • Support fund
  • Membership/Insurance
• Contact Us
  • Contact details
  • Feedback
• Publications
  • Download Membership form
    • PTA form
    • Parent Council form
  • Membership/Insurance
  • Leaflets
• Downloads
• News
  • Newsletter
  • News Archive
  • Scottish Government
  • Conferences
  • Consultations
  • SPTC in the news
• Infoshop
• FAQ
  • General
  • Legal & Insurance
  • My PTA
  • Parent Councils
  • SPTC Services
• Useful Links
  • General
  • Local Authorities

Members Survey 2003 - Report

At the end of April we sent the attached survey to all our PTA/PA members who then numbered 1250. The survey repeated many of the questions asked in our 1999 survey so that we could compare parents' views and note any changes.

Responses
By the end of June we had received 240 completed surveys: 202 from primary schools (with 50,321 pupils), 31 from secondary schools (with 26,252 pupils), 3 from special schools (172 pupils), 2 anonymous and one each from an all through school (493 pupils) and a nursery school (84 pupils). In terms of geographic spread, we had feedback from each of the 32 authorities.

Although in terms of schools there were 6.5 times as many primaries as secondaries, in terms of pupils the balance was much closer with 1.9 in primary for every one in secondary. The response rate was 19.2% which is good for a postal survey, but falls well below the 35.8% response rate that we had in 1999. However, the 1999 survey was sent out in November in conjunction with membership renewal and this, plus the time of year (the summer term is not a good time to involve parents), probably explains the lower return.

Activities
Not surprising, all respondents said that they raised money, and 88.3% said that they organised social events. Just under half (43.3%) said that they consulted/liaised with the school board whilst a similar percentage (42.9%) said that they reported and discussed parents concerns with the headteacher and staff. However, only 24.6% said that they did both. Organising meetings on educational topics was a much less popular activity, done by 16.7% of the total, although there was considerable difference between primary (12.4%) and secondary schools (41.9%). Overall, only 8.3% said that they ran activity clubs whilst no one claimed to run an after-school care club. The most commonly mentioned "other" activity was helping at school events.

Type of Fundraising activity
The school fundraiser remains the most popular activity in primary school although in secondaries it falls far short of social events like quiz nights. Similarly, sponsored events are moderately popular in primary schools and but not very common in secondaries. Other fundraising activities mentioned by respondents included bag packing at supermarkets and running school discos. Interestingly many identified school discos as a way to spend money, not raise it.

Percentage undertaking specific fundraising activities
 

Amount raised
Schools vary enormously in how much they raise, and so it was no surprise to find the amounts ranged from £12,000 by a large primary school in Edinburgh, down to £100 in a secondary school. Seventeen PTAs raised more than £5,000 but of these only one was a secondary and 16 were primary schools. However, when we look at the per pupil sum raised, it is clear that size matters! Of the top twenty, with a per pupil income ranging from £78.9 down to £25.90, all had school rolls of less than 150. The two special schools were amongst the top 20. In contrast, of the bottom 20 with per pupil income ranging from £2.10 down to only 10 pence per pupil, 14 had school rolls over 700, 16 were secondary schools and only 4 were primary schools.

In terms of averages, for primary schools it was £10.36 per pupil, for secondary £2.32 and for special schools £33.65. The comparable figures from the 1999 survey were £11.31, £2.03 and £35.17 so there has been very little change.

How money is spent
Electronic goods such as computers remain the number one "spend" overall, although in primary schools slightly more spent money on outings and play equipment. In secondary schools the other big spending areas were school books and sports equipment. However, this question attracted the largest number of alternatives outwith the range that we offered. Some stated they left such decisions to the school/headteacher either willingly or because they had no choice! Otherwise popular activities included swimming lessons, improving the physical environment of the school, paying for prizes or presents, pupil leaving activities, pupil diaries and supporting music provision in someway. Indeed, you name it and someone was spending money on it.

Percentage spending money in specific ways  

Parents' Views
For all groups, the number one issue was discipline and behaviour with bullying and national qualifications tied a close second in secondary schools, whilst in primary schools bullying was pushed into third position by concerns about road safety. In the secondary sector other major concerns were funding, parental involvement, state of the buildings and teaching standards. In the primary the other important issues were funding, parental involvement, school safety, state of the buildings and again teaching standards. In terms of primary concerns, the list is remarkably similar to last time although parental involvement has moved up and homework moved down. However, there's quite a shift in secondary priorities. Last time, Higher Still was a clear leader - but then it was about to be introduced - whilst discipline and behaviour was fourth on the list. In 1999, drugs came in second whilst this time they are near the bottom.

As always it is interesting to note the separation of the sectors with no one in the secondary sector having any concern about 5-14 testing and no one in the primary sector having any concern about national qualifications. For special schools, the concerns were school transport, staff shortages and links to specialists.

Perhaps most worrying from our point of view is that 11.25% of respondents didn't answer this question saying either that they only did fundraising or that these were matters for the school board. However, only 23% of these associations also said that they liaised with the school board.

Percentage identifying specific concerns

SPTC publications
SPTC publications were viewed quite favourably. Overall, 25% gave our newsletter Backchat a middle of the road rating, 8.5% gave it a below mid-point rating whilst 66% gave it an above mid-point rating. This pattern held good for all categories of school. Our leaflets and web site came out even better with 83% of those who'd used the leaflets rating them better than average and 80 % of those who'd used the website rating it above average.

Distribution
Nearly everyone (97%) answered this question and of these 74% said that they distributed it to the whole committee and an encouraging 28% distributed it more widely. Only two per cent said that they did not distribute it at all.

August 2003