Get the most out of stakeholder feedback in your school or trust
In the hustle and bustle of the everyday learning process, collecting stakeholder feedback is a way to take stock of the things going well in your organisation and to also reflect on the things that need to be improved upon.
Stakeholder feedback can act as a catalyst to set action plans for individuals and teams, to monitor progress and to ensure improvement in the education process.
Here are our top 10 tips for getting the most out of stakeholder feedback:
- Identify the stakeholders: The first step in collecting feedback is to identify the stakeholders. Make a list of all the groups or individuals who are affected by the project or process that you are interested in learning more about. Remember that different groups will be able to give you information on different things. What do teachers have to say? What can pupils share about their experiences? What about parents and their perspectives?
- Set a goal: Before collecting feedback, determine your objectives. Identify the information that you want to gather and the questions you need to ask. Make sure it aligns with the objectives of your organisation and with the work that you prioritise.
- Choose the right method: There are various methods available for collecting stakeholder feedback, including surveys, focus groups, interviews, and social media. Choose the method that is most appropriate for your stakeholders, taking into account their ability to give you insight into your topic of interest and their availability.
- Ask the right questions: Choose questions strategically, making sure the question is valuable to you and that the respondent can give a meaningful answer. Include some open-ended questions to encourage stakeholders to express their opinions and share their experiences. This can provide valuable insights that you may not have considered.
- Keep it short: Keep the feedback collection process short and to the point. Avoid lengthy surveys or meetings that can be time-consuming and may discourage stakeholders from participating.
- Get a good response rate: Try to get as many respondents to give you stakeholder feedback as possible. This will ensure that your results are reliable and reflect the majority of the stakeholders. Use multiple channels to collect feedback. This can include email, social media, or in-person meetings. This will help you reach a wider audience and gather more diverse perspectives.
- Be transparent: Be transparent about the feedback collection process. Communicate with stakeholders about the purpose of the feedback collection, the timeline, and how their feedback will be used.
- Analyse the data: Analyse the data that you have collected. Look for patterns, trends, and common themes. Use this information to identify areas for improvement and to inform decision-making. Be sure to also look for the good in the results - what have stakeholders responded positively about that you can celebrate as a success for your organisation?
- Take action: Take action based on the feedback you have received. Use the insights that you have gained to make changes or improvements to the project or process. Get stakeholders involved, explaining to them their role and the desired outcomes you are working towards together.
- Follow up: Finally, follow up with stakeholders to let them know how their stakeholder feedback was used. This can encourage continued engagement and build trust with stakeholders. Changes of improvement are sometimes slow to show themselves, but by keeping everyone in the loop, working together and regularly checking in, you can make great strides in achieving your goals.
Are your decisions working?
School leadership needs to keep up with the effect of its decisions, monitoring its impact on various stakeholder groups. Collecting stakeholder feedback about various projects in your organisation can help support your case for future implementations or give you feedback on what didn't work so well previously. It is a way to connect with the people in your organisation and give them a voice.
At Edurio, we believe in continuous improvement. Our school improvement wheel shows how we support you all the way, from setting goals to tracking progress.
If you’d like further support after reading about collecting stakeholder feedback, over a hundred trusts are currently using Edurio to gather and easily evaluate feedback from their staff, pupils and parents.
Edurio manages the stakeholder surveying process for you and shows the results in our data visualisation platform, where you can easily compare elements of culture and good education across all your schools and with our research-validated national benchmarks. The data allows for targeting your support and identifying good practices.
If you're interested in some further reading and are a school joining a trust, we recommend, "Deciding to Join a Trust; Guidance for Maintained Schools on Engagement with Stakeholders," published by The Confederation of School Trusts.
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