Download
1 / 39
390 likes | 394 Views
Customer Voice Research Wave 7 Safer School Partnerships: January 7, 2010. Contents. Research objectives and methodology First thoughts SSPs in more detail Evaluation of messages with parents Young people’s thoughts Summary of recommendations. Research Objectives and Methodology.
E N D
Customer Voice Research Wave 7 Safer School Partnerships: January 7, 2010
Contents • Research objectives and methodology • First thoughts • SSPs in more detail • Evaluation of messages with parents • Young people’s thoughts • Summary of recommendations
Research Objective Overall To understand the current perceptions of police involvement in schools and explore how to best create a positive perception of police in schools More specifically this research • Provided an understanding of parents’ and young people’s spontaneous reactions and feelings about police presence in schools • Ascertained what is it they know about police in schools and where/how they get their information • Tested a range of messages about SSPs and explored reactions to the messages • Listened out for how parents and children spoke about the topic, including the language and tone they use, helping to understand how to position relevant messages • Explored parents’ and young people’s perceptions of SSPs once they were given more information and gave a considered response • Established how to harness the positive perceptions and address the negative perceptions
Methodology and sample London SSP • Six, one and half hour mini groups with parents of children aged 8 to 16 • Two groups with Dads, Four groups with Mums • Six individuals per group • Groups were split between those whose children attended SSP schools and those who did not • Within in each group a mix of attitudes to Police presence in schools. No rejecters. • Those whose children attend SSP schools to be recruited from a list of specified schools Nottingham SSP Stockport Non SSP Newcastle Non SSP
Methodology and sample London SSP • Eight, one and a half hour quads (4 friends) with children/teens aged between 9 and 17 • One among boys in Year 5 (9 to 10 yrs) • One among girls in Year 6 (10 to 11) • One among boys in Year 7 (11 to 12) • One among girls in Year 8 (12 to 13) • One among boys in Year 9 (13 to 14) • One among girls in Year 10 (BME – 14 to 15) • One among boys in Year 11 (15 to 16) • One among girls in Year 12 (16 to 17) • All were recruited based on school year • None attended further education colleges • All attended state maintained school • Quads were split between those who attended SSP schools and those who did not. Those who attend SSP schools were recruited from a list of specified schools Nottingham SSP Kent Non SSP Stockport Non SSP Newcastle Non SSP
First thoughts... “ It’s with sadness that we’ve come to this, but I suppose it’s worth a try” (Mum, Stockport) “What an indictment on our society, a crying shame that this needs to happen for people who are under 16” (Dad, London) “ No matter what you think they’re trying to do it for your own good” (Girl, London) “ We don’t need police at our school. It’s not like a city school with gangs and drugs. We’ve got a nice atmosphere” (Boy, Kent ) “It can’t make things any worse” (Dad, Nottingham) “If it works then it could be very good, but how are they going to do it in practice?” (Mum, London) “They should put the fear of God in them, kids need that these days” (Mum, Newcastle)
Knowledge of SSPs Across the sample, no one had heard of SSPs - an unfamiliar acronym • Both children and parents at SSP and non SSP schools claimed they had not heard of it • When explained that SSP stood for ‘Safer School Partnerships’ all respondents said this was an unfamiliar term • Most were willing to guess what a Safer School Partnership is and who is involved, however all claimed this was not something they knew about • Many felt the term sounded like it was ‘written for teachers’ and called for a snappier, more parent and child friendly phrase • This may help it to feel more relevant to them • And easier to remember A ‘public’ name change would be welcomed by all in the sample to help it feel like it was an initiative for them (If the name cannot be changed, it may help having a strapline that resonates with parents and children)
SSPs in more detail Respondents were told: An SSP is a formal agreement between a school or a partnership of schools and police to work together in order to keep young people safe, reduce crime and the fear of crime and improve behaviour in schools and their communities. This will involve a police officer or police community support officer regularly working at a school or across a number of schools on a full time or part time basis
Bringing it to life I haven’t heard of SSPs. We’ve got a police officer at our school, she’s really nice. She’s helping me deal with my anger issues and got me to join the cadets Girl 14, London Our school is already safe, it’s not rough like one in London. I can’t see why they’d come to our school. It’s a bit weird Boy , Kent Sounds like an episode of Waterloo road, not something that we need at our school Girl , Stockport It’s a good idea but I worry. What can 1 police officer do in a massive school? He could be one end and some kids could be being stabbed at another, better they put those knife detectors on the gates Mum, Nottingham That’s an excellent idea. Bring back some respect and authority to schools Mum, Newcastle If my kids were to start a new school and I saw a police officer wandering around, I’d wonder what happened. Mum, Stockport Aren’t the police busy with other issues Mum, Newcastle If it keeps them safe it could be good Dad, Nottingham There’s a policeman at my sons school but I’ve no idea what he does Dad, London
Spontaneous reactions Safer School Partnerships were generally thought of as a good idea by the majority of people in this sample. This initiative was not rejected by anyone. However, respondents demonstrated mixed spontaneous reactions to the idea overall Confusion Relief Sadness & concern Scepticism Mums Newcastle, London, Stockport, Nottingham Kids London, Nottingham Some dads Kids Kent, Stockport, Newcastle, All parents All dads In order to create a positive perception of police in schools, communication will need to address these emotions in concrete ways
Addressing the reactions • Some parents & young people struggled to find direct • relevance to having SSPs in their schools /locations • Making it hard to imagine what the SSP would involve • Hard to see link between police and teachers, particularly as their schools and local area feel safe • Making information about SSP schools and area specific will help it to feel local and relevant Confusion • All Mums in the sample, some dads and those young people who lived in inner city areas expressed relief that something was being done to make schools a safer place • To some extent they perceived that teachers lacked any power or authority over pupils and believed that ‘something had to be done’ they felt that the role of police was to weed out unruly pupils so they/their children could learn in a safe and comfortable environment • This aspect of the initiative is a key emotional hook for parents and young people but it needs to be expressed in an inclusive and proactive way to give the initiative overall credibility i.e. not just for bad pupils or failing schools Relief
Addressing the reactions cont’d • The secondary reaction to ‘relief’ • All parents in this sample expressed sadness and concern that ‘it had come to this’ • They recalled their school days when there was a power difference between teachers and pupils • And many felt young people ‘abused their rights’ thus disempowering teachers and diluting their authority • If possible, these emotions need to be empathised with in communications, and show the initiative is positive and proactive Sadness & concern • All dads expressed scepticism about how the SSP would work in practice • They struggled to imagine what 1 officer could ‘really do’ in tougher schools • And questioned the point of having officers assigned to already safe schools • Clear ‘effectiveness indicators’ should developed and communicated with parents, so that they can feel part of programme and support with monitoring it and measuring its success • All indicators to be relevant to individual SSP schools otherwise risks losing meaning as too general Scepticism
Finding the balance Across the sample respondents felt positive towards the police in schools • Thoughts and feelings about SSPs were not influenced by negative attitudes towards the police • The police were spontaneously viewed as people with ultimate power who stop crime and solve murders, it was hard to imagine them being placed in schools as they were busy with bigger issues • Parents recognised the hard work they do and the challenges they face- an authority figure who is an essential part of the community • Some Black parents in Nottingham and London expressed concern at the amount of times their children had been stopped and searched • Children (Year 6 and below) found the whole world of the police exciting and saw police officers as role models • Most young people (Year 7 and above) had had little interaction with the police so their impression and interest in what they do was developed from TV series like the Bill • A minority of young people had experience of police involvement in their lives and knew in detail the support they could be given and the interagency partnership work they do (youth offending) It’s really important that therefore that the SSP officer maintains a unique position in schools by staying away from school rules and also maintaining a distance from adult crime issues
Finding the balance Teachers SSP Police • Uniform • Time keeping • Learning • Homework • Behaviour • Bullying • Common outcome: DETENTION For some it was a struggle to visualise schools and the police ‘uniting’ Their perceptions of the roles they each have are worlds apart. The SSP office could adopt the familiarity and comfort of a teacher and the impact and confidence of a police officer Could they wear a different uniform so they seem unique , or they could wear the school badges to show their affiliation • Burglary • Murder • Kidnapping • Common outcome: PRISON
Message territories- overview Least impactful Most impactful Safety Authority Helping hands Bringing the police into the community Relief Confusion Scepticism Sadness & concern
A nod to parents A strength of SSPs is a potential partnership between schools, police and parents • And some parents felt this was worth spelling out in the messages • Some parents noticed that only one of the messages referenced them and this was in passing • They felt that by communicating with them directly through the statements, they will feel more included in initiatives • This would help the introduction to the scheme feel more personal than simply referencing them as ‘the community’ • Parents felt their inclusion was important as they have ultimate responsibility for the safety, discipline and well being of their children Where relevant, would it be possible to make a direct reference to parents? Parents Child Police officers Teachers
Summary of conclusions Use neutral statements Support general points with specific examples, relevant to location. This will help parents to understand how the initiative will work in practice- helping them to feel positive about it. Use simple language, nothing too wordy Try to avoid using sweeping statements or over emphasising potential of SSPs – can easily make parents disconnect from overall message Explaining the parameters of SSPs and the anticipated outcomes will help to manage expectations When appropriate it may help to indirectly empathise with parents feelings: concerns about safety, morals values and their children learning and developing through school
Areas for support Most relevant In between Less relevant • Bullying • Drugs and alcohol • Raising pupils’ awareness of specific crime issues, such as tackling financial fraud • Violent extremism • When challenging pupils moved between schools (moved as a result of exclusion) • Working with other issues of concern, such as safeguarding, domestic violence or sexual exploitation • Racial tension • Homophobia • Weapons • Gang culture and group offending • Theft of wallets, iPods, phones • Info on posting photos on the internet and sending things to each other on phones • Info on what the police do and how they get into their jobs • Finding out what’s going on in other schools Other areas they are interested in
Summary of conclusions Proactive messages resonated the most, what SSPs will do to help learning and build positive relationships rather than those about stopping extreme behaviour They want the SSP officer to be easy to relate to, which can be communicated by telling them interesting things about their role. They want initiatives to feel relevant to their school A 2 way relationship- the SSP officer to provide insight into the wider role of the police, how they got involved, bits about the job and what they like doing, so it becomes relevant to their lives Tell young people what’s going on in other Schools in their area, so the scheme feels part of something positive and joined up Different roles between teachers and SSP officers need to be clearly communicated and the young people need to be reassured that the SSP person needs is friendly and trustworthy
Summary of recommendations Parents and young people see safety and authority aspects as the most important, but these were also areas where there was Confusion over relevance and application Advocate having a positive ‘launch’ in each school, so that the SSP officer is given kudos and the whole initiative is felt to be exciting The role of parents in SSPs needs to be strengthened Give clear examples of potential outcomes and success criteria making it relevant to each school. This will enable young people and parents to feel involved in monitoring And see the value in the scheme Tell young people what’s going on in other schools, so it feels part of something positive and proactive Avoid police uniform They should wear something that helps them to fit in and stand out as different from teachers School badges were suggested Localise literature and messages to help SSPs feel relevant and important A strapline that’s relevant and easy to remember
Summary of conclusions- parents Use neutral statements Support general points with specific examples, relevant to location. This will help parents to understand how the initiative will work in practice- helping them to feel positive about it. Use simple language, nothing too wordy Try to avoid using sweeping statements or over emphasising potential of SSPs – can easily make parents disconnect from overall message Explaining the parameters of SSPs and the anticipated outcomes will help to manage expectations When appropriate it may help to indirectly empathise with parents feelings: concerns about safety, morals values and their children learning and developing through school
Summary of conclusions- cyp Proactive messages resonated the most, what SSPs will do to help learning and build positive relationships rather than those about stopping extreme behaviour They want the SSP officer to be easy to relate to, which can be communicated by telling them interesting things about their role. They want initiatives to feel relevant to their school A 2 way relationship- the SSP officer to provide insight into the wider role of the police, how they got involved, bits about the job and what they like doing, so it becomes relevant to their lives Tell young people what’s going on in other Schools in their area, so the scheme feels part of something positive and joined up Different roles between teachers and SSP officers need to be clearly communicated and the young people need to be reassured that the SSP person needs is friendly and trustworthy
4th Floor 54 – 55 Margaret Street London W1W 8SH t: 0207 436 7472 f: 0207 323 9738
