London Borough of Merton Launches Online Anti Bullying Survey
Web-based survey allows pupils to voice opinions on effectiveness of anti-bullying approaches in schools
[UKPRwire, Thu Jun 28 2007] The London Borough of Merton has recently deployed Vantage Technologies’ Sentinel Survey module to launch an innovative online pupil questionnaire, designed to give pupils the chance to comment on the effectiveness of schools’ policies for tackling bullying in schools.
The results gathered from the questionnaire will deliver valuable evidence on the effectiveness of schools’ current anti-bullying policies and highlight potential hotspots or specific areas where additional resources need to be deployed in order to address bullying.
In the recent Joint Area Review the inspection team discussed Merton’s proactive approach to monitoring and tackling the issue of bullying in its schools. This web-based approach to surveys makes it easier for pupils to record their views and for them to be viewed and acted upon by school management and the local authority.
The survey is now being specifically designed in partnership with Vantage to meet the needs of younger pupils. Future developments will extend the survey to include special needs pupils and those who do not have English as their first language, making it easier for them to give their opinions on the anti-bullying policy.
Bev Selway, primary behavioural and attendance consultant at Merton said: “The Sentinel Online Anti-Bullying survey enables us to see how well schools’ anti-bullying policies are working, plus the feedback from pupils will help provide a clearer understanding of the issues around bullying in our schools.
“We’ve worked closely with Vantage to monitor and fine-tune the effectiveness of the online survey.’
The pupil questionnaire has been circulated to members of the anti-bullying pilot group of which Merton is a member, and to several other authorities in across England, to be used as the basis for further surveys.
The Merton survey will be repeated in November to coincide with national anti-bullying week. The results will highlight where improvements have been made and validate if the interventions have been effective in fine-tuning anti-bullying practice.
The borough has also deployed the Sentinel Anti-Bullying Case Management software, which allows staff and pupils to report instances of racism securely and confidentially, alerting local authority staff in real time so that incidents can be followed up.
Sentinel gathers statistical information into a single reporting database allowing teachers, school management and Children’s Services professionals to share resources and adopt a more co-ordinated approach to the identification of patterns and trends. Sentinel also provides case management tools, allowing schools to investigate and resolve any such incidents.
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