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Benchmark.Pulse

Survey for staff

Speaking up: low-level concerns

Asks staff how well they understand low-level concerns and professional boundaries, and how confident they would feel speaking up, so you can strengthen a safe culture when you review the code of conduct. About 5 minutes to complete.

What respondents read first

This survey is for all staff. It asks how confident you would feel sharing a concern about an adult's conduct. Please do not name anyone or describe a particular event. It takes about 5 minutes and is anonymous: the school cannot see who answered, and results are only shown for groups of 10 or more. Written comments are read by the school. If one suggests that a child or an adult may be at risk of harm, including a concern about the conduct of someone who works with children, it goes straight to the school's safeguarding lead and is kept out of the report.
Fig. 1  The opening screen, word for word.

How anonymity works in this survey

  • The school cannot see who answered. Nothing is reported until 10 people have answered.
  • A group, such as one role or one year group, is shown only when 10 or more people in it have answered. Smaller groups are hidden.
  • An answer chosen by fewer than 5 people is hidden, along with enough others that it cannot be worked out by subtraction.
  • Written comments appear only once 10 people have answered.

See the anonymity rules working

The questions

Numbered in the order respondents see them.

Arrange the questions

Respondents choose

How long have you worked at this school?

  • Less than 2 years
  • 2 to 5 years
  • More than 5 years

This places each answer in a group for the report. It is the only question about the person answering.

Professional boundaries3

  1. Question 2.

    I am clear where the professional boundaries lie in my relationships with pupils.

    Agree scale: five points, strongly disagree to strongly agree

  2. Question 4.

    I have had the chance to talk through real grey areas in professional boundaries, not only the rules.

    Agree scale: five points, strongly disagree to strongly agree

  3. Question 5.

    Staff views are sought when the code of conduct is reviewed.

    Agree scale: five points, strongly disagree to strongly agree

Low-level concerns7

  1. Question 7.

    I could give an example of behaviour by an adult that would count as a low-level concern.

    Agree scale: five points, strongly disagree to strongly agree

  2. Question 8.

    I understand why the school wants staff to share low-level concerns.

    Agree scale: five points, strongly disagree to strongly agree

  3. Question 9.

    I know who to tell if a concern is about the headteacher.

    Agree scale: five points, strongly disagree to strongly agree

  4. Question 12.

    I could share a low-level concern without worrying about how colleagues would treat me afterwards.

    Agree scale: five points, strongly disagree to strongly agree

  5. Question 13.

    I trust that a low-level concern would be handled fairly for the person it was about.

    Agree scale: five points, strongly disagree to strongly agree

  6. Question 15.

    Leaders respond to concerns about adults' conduct in a proportionate way.

    Agree scale: five points, strongly disagree to strongly agree

  7. Question 17.

    What one thing would make it easier for staff here to speak up about concerns?

    Write your own answer

Safeguarding culture7

  1. Question 1.

    I am clear about what the staff code of conduct expects of me.

    Agree scale: five points, strongly disagree to strongly agree

  2. Question 3.

    I understand the rules on contact with pupils online and through social media.

    Agree scale: five points, strongly disagree to strongly agree

  3. Question 6.

    I understand what the low-level concerns policy asks me to share about adults' conduct.

    Agree scale: five points, strongly disagree to strongly agree

  4. Question 10.

    I would feel confident sharing a low-level concern about a colleague's conduct.

    Agree scale: five points, strongly disagree to strongly agree

  5. Question 11.

    If something I did could be misread, I would feel able to report it myself.

    Agree scale: five points, strongly disagree to strongly agree

  6. Question 14.

    A concern about an adult in this school would be taken seriously, whoever it was about.

    Agree scale: five points, strongly disagree to strongly agree

  7. Question 16.

    I would feel safe using the whistleblowing procedure to raise a concern about safeguarding practice here.

    Agree scale: five points, strongly disagree to strongly agree

Free to run. The full report is £149.

Running it is free and gives you the headline result, with strengths and priorities. The full report adds every chart, comments grouped into themes and briefing slides.

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