Parent & Carer Survey Results
We are always ambitious and reflective as a school, and we strive to further improve our excellent education so your views are important to us.
We ask for your views annually in a Parent Survey but also welcome feedback at any point during the year. To leave your thoughts, please see our Leave Feedback page.
2024-25 Parent & Carer Survey Data
Many thanks to those parents who completed our Parent Survey earlier this year. It has taken a while for the data to come back in, so thank you for your patience. We have looked closely at the comments we received and we have considered our response. The number of respondents would have ideally been higher, but we were very happy with the very positive response we received: 95% of you saying that they would recommend our school to others. Turn out in the survey was low, with only 64 responses. Last year, we had 173 responses, so the data may not be as accurate. We assume that those that did not complete the survey had no negative views they wished to share.
In considering our reaction, we have added up the responses that were either “strongly agree” or “agree” and presented the information accordingly at the end of the letter. We are very pleased where results are over 90%, but where results are below 90%, we are keen to review our processes and see where improvements can be made. We have also considered the comments we received from you all regarding how we can further improve and, of course, the many positive comments we received, which were a delight to read.
I have taken each question in turn, where the % of parents agreeing to the statement was lower than 90%, and I have hopefully provided you with a satisfactory response, explanation and/or reassurance of our determination to improve:
Q3: This school makes sure its pupils are well-behaved
The % of respondents agreeing was 86%, which is lower than we would like. We often have visitors in school and feedback from these visits is overwhelmingly positive in terms of behaviour around the school. School and Trust leadership often spend time in classes and the vast majority of children respond well to our school rules and there is a tangible mutual respect from everyone. Behaviour is always a concern in schools, and with so many children, there are bound to be instances of poor behaviour choices. At Coleham, we work hard to help children understand the impact of their behaviour choices and the vast majority of children demonstrate incredible behaviour.
Q5: When I have raised concerns with the school they have been dealt with properly.
The % agreeing with this statement has increased from 77% last year to 86% this year, but we would still like to improve this figure. If you have any concerns with school, we would always urge you to come and talk to your child’s class teacher in the first instance: many issues can be easily resolved quickly (we have lots of staff available on the playgrounds each morning and evening so you can discuss matters in person or you may email the admin address for a staff member to call you). If you feel that this needs to be escalated to a member of the Senior Leadership Team, then your child’s class teacher will immediately refer the issue onto the phase leader and/or Miss Harris or me. We take all concerns very seriously and always take time to investigate situations carefully before taking appropriate and robust action. Of course, not all decisions are agreed by all, but we always aim to maintain fairness and equity in decisions as best we can.
If you do not feel that a concern has been dealt with appropriately, please do get in touch with the school office as soon as possible and a member of the Senior Leadership Team will contact you regarding your concern. For concerns that cannot be resolved through these channels, the complaints procedure can be found in the policy section of the website.
Q6: School has high expectations for my child
The % agreeing has risen slightly from 88% to 89% this year which is positive. High expectations are everywhere at Coleham School: high expectations of effort, behaviour, attainment and high expectations of our school values.
If you feel that there are low expectations for your child, or you are unsure, please do speak to your child’s teacher to discuss what can be done.
Q13: This school supports my child’s wider development
The % of parents agreeing with question rose slightly from 88% to 89%, which is again positive. As well as a rich curriculum offer including languages and music, our enrichment program of speakers, community events and trips is strong and well-developed, which has been recognised by the 3-18 Trust Leadership. So far this year, there have been over 40 trips, including residentials, and over 80 speakers and workshops in school. We work incredibly hard to make sure all children, especially disadvantaged children, experience a wide variety of interesting and culturally diverse experiences beyond the academic with many classes regularly popping out of the classroom to explore the town centre in addition to scheduled trips further afield. Enrichment and curriculum development are always a key part of our plans each school year and next year will be the same.
If you have any doubts or concerns about the wider development of your child, please do get in touch and we can discuss ways to improve. If you have an interesting hobby or links to local organisations or businesses that might wish to work with us on a project or host pupils for a trip then please get in touch with Miss Othen or the school office.
Q7: My Child has SEND and the school gives them the support they need to succeed
The % of positive responses has for this questions has risen from 67% to 78% this year which is a very positive increase. Miss Jones and her team have worked incredibly hard this year and we are providing more and more for our children with SEND. It is tricky to get this area of education perfect, but we are always open to discussion about what can be improved, so please do get in touch if you feel more could be done.
In addition to the 3-18 Trust survey, we also asked parents and carers to comment on what we can improve, and what we are doing well. Thank you to everyone who raised valid points. This year, there were no overriding themes or repeated comments that point to a particular area of weakness, so if your area for improvement was a strong one, please do get in touch. We have highlighted the more commons themes below:
EXTRA-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES
The most common comments centred around wraparound care, extra curricular clubs and fixture selections. Some of the concerns are ones that have been raised by some parents & carers already, and it is unclear if those comments were written before or after they were resolved.
Fixture selections
Selection for school fixtures is often raised as a point of concern. We always aim to adopt a fair system of both including all children in sporting events, and catering for those with specific talents through a range of competitive and friendly fixtures. There are always more opportunities for older children at the school, and every child, should they wish, will get to represent the school on a fixture. At the end of the year, we will publish data around how many children have competed for the school to highlight the impact of this system. Miss Lewis employs a robust tracking system to make sure that no one is overly-selected and that no one is overly-left out.
Wraparound Care
There were some comments around the cost, availability and flexibility of wraparound care. The cost of breakfast and after-school club is a necessity in order to be able to run them. We are conscious of the financial pressures faced by many families, and as a result, we do our utmost to ensure costs are as low as possible. Wraparound care is incredibly popular, so naturally there is a squeeze on places. We can only cater for 50 children owing to staffing numbers and physical space, which also impacts on flexibility. Unfortunately, places must be booked and paid for and we are unable to hold places without charge. Without generating a consistent income, the school simply cannot afford to run wraparound care. If you are struggling with any aspect of wraparound care, we urge you to come and speak to us. We would always want to see if we can help before insurmountable debts build up.
Extra-curricular club offer
There were a small number of comments calling for a wider range of after school clubs on offer. We have an extensive range of extra-curricular clubs for many of our year groups. We are always looking for new and exciting club offers. Many of our clubs are run by our busy staff in their own time for no extra pay, and group sizes must remain manageable. We have run a number of successful clubs with help of our parents and carers this year, so if you have a great idea for a club you could help run, please do get in touch.
Overall, the feedback that you have provided to us was overwhelmingly positive with many, many comments about the strong community ethos of the school. Our aim has always been to educate the whole child providing them with a broad and rich curriculum and it is wonderful to read that so many of you feel we are doing a good job! The many positive comments and praise for our dedicated and hard-working staff team were also much appreciated. We have, of course, shared your comments with the whole team – it has really made an impact on everyone, so thank you very much!
Thank you, once again, for your valuable feedback on our Parent Survey.
Yours sincerely,
Tom Larkham
Headteacher
Parent / Carer Survey Results 2024-25
Number on Roll: 426
Number of respondents: 64
Survey Collected: March 2025.
|
Survey Questions |
% Agree |
% Neutral |
% Disagree |
| My child is happy at their school. |
97% |
0% |
3% |
| My child feels safe at their school. |
92% |
3% |
5% |
| The school makes sure its pupils are well behaved. |
86% |
5% |
9% |
| The school makes me aware of what my child will learn during the year. |
91% |
0% |
9% |
| When I have raised concerns with the school they have been dealt with properly. |
83% |
5% |
13% |
| The school has high expectations for my child. |
89% |
5% |
6% |
| My child does well at this school. |
92% |
3% |
5% |
| The school lets me know how my child is doing. |
91% |
2% |
8% |
| There is a good range of subjects available to my child at this school. |
94% |
2% |
5% |
| My child can take part in clubs and activities at this school. |
91% |
2% |
8% |
| The school supports my child’s wider personal development. |
89% |
2% |
9% |
| *My child has been bullied and the school dealt with the bullying quickly and effectively. |
67% |
33% |
0% |
| **My child has SEND, and the school gives them the support they need to succeed. |
78% |
0% |
22% |
| I would recommend this school to another parent |
95% |
0% |
5% |
*This figure relates to % of the 3 parents/carers who stated their child had been bullied
** This figure relates to % of the 9 parents/carers responding “yes” to my child has SEND.
Thank You!
As well as being ambitious with self-improvement, it’s always incredibly heart-warming to read the many positive comments around what we do well. The whole staff team greatly appreciate the time taken to answer the question “What do we do well?” – thank you to everyone who sent us comments. Here are some of the positive comments:
“The quality of the staff and the constant desire to make learning accessible and interesting are a great part of what makes this school great!”
“Teachers”
“The headteacher, teaching and support staff. All the extra trips and activities that the school organise.”
“Community”
“Exceptional opportunities”
“Miss Cox and Mrs Jeff – warm, nurturing staff with high expectations”
“Fantastic and caring teachers and support staff.”
“My child has a great teacher that truly cares about the children and their education which is rare.”
“They really understand my son.”
“Coleham is an exceptional Primary school, my child and their siblings have all felt cared for, listened to and valued as well as them being an important member of the school and wider community. We describe Coleham and its staff as a bit Mary Poppins, “practically perfect in every way”.”
“Community spirit”
“Inclusivity”
“My child has some good friends.”
“More different kinds of after school clubs.”
“Nice bunch of children and teachers.”
“The pupils”
“The staff, the children, the families. All the enrichment opportunities.”
“My youngest was lacking in self confidence because of bullying he suffered at his previous school. When he started at Coleham he was still a little shy and not very confident, it is because of Coleham and especially his teacher Ms Heap, he has now become a more confident and happy child. For my eldest child they have supported him with any struggles he has had with his learning and have given him extra support before school. I really am overwhelmed and grateful to Coleham for everything they have done and continue to do for my children.”
“So much joy!”
“Coleham School is a fantastic place for my son! The teachers are dedicated, the environment is nurturing, and the school offers great opportunities for learning and growth. I’m so grateful he’s part of such a supportive and inspiring community!”
“Lots of extra activities and events.”
“Community. Opportunities.”
“The staff create an amazing environment for the children to learn and have fun – this sense of fun and humour is really important too. We also really appreciate Mr Larkham and the form teachers taking the time to talk to us as parents if we ever have concerns.”
“Enthusiastic, thoughtful teachers.”
“The teachers know our children for who they are and go the extra mile for them.”
“The commitment of the teachers.”
“A real sense of community within the school and great relationships with the wider community. Passionate teachers that are willing to give up their time to enrich the children’s learning.”
“Great community!”
“Excellent standard of education and high expectations for my child.”
“The range of experiences available to my child is exceptional and I feel the school champions skills and talents in a broad range of areas, beyond the academic. I value the dialogue I have with staff at school and I feel they work with me to support my child when things don’t go as well as we’d like. It’s a partnership and a ‘family’ we are proud to be part of.”
“The wider school community is always welcomed into the school.”
“So many opportunities and wonderful staff.”
“The school’s strong sense of community, engaging activities, and emphasis on important values make it an outstanding place for young learners. Thank you for all the hard work that goes into making Coleham such a fantastic school.”
“I love the photo updates on Dojo. They help prompt some lovely conversations after school about our days.”
“So many amazing opportunities for the pupils.”
“Teachers work hard.”
“Approachable teachers, great community, outstanding ofsted and good safeguarding. We struggled with our children to go into lessons when he first started and the teachers had a great approach and now he loves going to school.”
“Such a vibrant community feel to it and so well connected with the Coleham community.”
“The amazing staff, wonderful opportunities and great feel to it.”
“Sustainability and diversity in learning.”
“Dear Coleham Primary School Team, I just want to express my heartfelt appreciation for all the support and guidance you provide to my daughter. As her mother, it truly means the world to me to know that she is in a nurturing and inspiring learning environment.”
“The staff go above and beyond.”
“Teachers”
“My Childs teacher this year Miss Lewis, is amazing and our son is flourishing. We also think Mr Larkham is an excellent headteacher.”
“Great class teachers and TA’s who encourage the children to be the best they can be. Great support when my daughter is struggling to get into school in the mornings.”
“The staff are so friendly no matter how high up they are especially the head teacher.”
“Lots of access to different experiences and trips.”
“Current class teachers are effective; new sendco is very effective.”
“We think the staff work hard to make the school an incredible place for the children to learn and thrive and they feel well supported. The supportive, inclusive and friendly school ethos and atmosphere is perfect to enable children to do well at school and it’s a fantastic place for all children and their families.”
“Sense of community, strong leadership and excellent teachers.”