Insights from Youth and Parent Surveys in Luton Schools

1. Surveys of parents, young people and schoolchildren in Luton Written report Linda Balodis, Account Manager Because People Matter

2. Table of contents Contents Page no. Introduction 3 Staying safe 11 Health and fitness 18 Getting involved and having your say 26 Free time 29 Achieving 36 Growing up in Luton 56 Executive summary 64

3. Introduction

4. Background • The Children Act 2004 identified the need for a national framework for building services around the needs of young people and maximising their opportunities for health and development • Luton Borough Council and its partners wished to consult with young people and parents to understand their views and aspirations

5. Method (1) • Surveys were conducted with children/young people aged 13 – 19 years and parents: • Questionnaires were also distributed across all 12 secondary schools in Luton (representing 7,258 pupils) and 4,881 questionnaires were returned (67% response rate) • 9,313 questionnaires were mailed to all 16–19 year olds living in Luton; 1,079 were returned (12% response rate) • 120 telephone interviews were completed among parents on the Luton Citizens’ Panel

6. Profile of school children (unweighted) • The ages of school children were: • 32% 13 years • 36% 14 years • 28% 15 years • 4% 16 years • <1% 17 years • 42% were from BME communities • (with 14% of Pakistani, 6% of Bangladeshi and 5% of Kashmiri origin) • 49% were male and 51% female (of those who answered the question) • 16% had a disability

7. Profile of young people (unweighted) • The ages of young people were: • 38% 16 years • 31% 17 years • 18% 18 years • 14% 19 years • 44% were of from BME communities • (with 12% of Pakistani and 4% of Indian origin) • 35% were male and 65% female • 82% were in education/training (full or part time) • 10% had a disability

8. Profile of parents (unweighted) • Parents had children of a range of ages: • 40% with 0 – 7 year olds • 59% with 8 – 14 year olds • 38% with 15 – 18 year olds • 14% of parents were from BME communities • 14% of parents personally had a disability • 11% had children with a disability

9. Method (2) • School data was weighted by the population in each school year • Young people’s data was weighted by age, gender and ethnicity from the Census • Only weighted data is shown for school children and young people in the report • Parents’ data is broadly representative, so unweighted • All fieldwork took place in October and November 2005

10. Key to chart colours

11. Staying safe

12. Perception of safety at school School Children (4881) Parents (120) Unweighted base: All respondents

13. Perception of safety outside school/out and about Unweighted base: All respondents

15. Have any of the following things happened to you/your child? (1) Unweighted base: All respondents

16. Have any of the following things happened to you/your child? (2) Unweighted base: All respondents

17. What ONE thing would make you/children feel safer in Luton? % saying more/better policing Unweighted base: All respondents School children (4881); Young people (1079); Parents (120)

18. Health and fitness

19. Thinking about your own/your child’s health and fitness, how worried are you about the following? (1) % very worried Unweighted base: All respondents

20. Thinking about your own/your child’s health and fitness, how worried are you about the following? (2) % very worried Unweighted base: All respondents

21. Have you asked any of the people in the list below for help or advice about any health issues in the last 12 months? Unweighted base: All respondents

22. How would you rate your/child’s overall health for someone their age? School Children Young People Parents 0% Unweighted base: School children (4881); Young people (1079); Parents (120)

24. What, if anything, would you like to see improve for your health and fitness? Unweighted base: All respondents

25. What, if anything, would you like to see improve for your child’s health and fitness? Unweighted base: All respondents

26. Getting involved and having your say

27. Which of the following, if any, have you done in the last 12 months? Unweighted base: All respondents

28. How would you/your children most like to have your/their say about the issues that affect you/them? Unweighted base: All respondents

29. Free time

30. What do you/your children do in your/their free time? Unweighted base: All respondents

31. Is there anything that stops you/your child doing activities that you/they want to do in your/their free time? Unweighted base: All respondents

32. Should the Council provide more, the same or fewer facilities and activities for young people? Parents (120) Unweighted base: All respondents

33. Should the Council provide lots of small scale youth facilities or a reduced number of large scale facilities? Parents (120) Unweighted base: All respondents

34. Why should the Council provide more small scale facilities? Parents (67) Unweighted base: Where prefer small scale facilities

35. Why should the Council provide more larger scale facilities? Parents (47) Unweighted base: Where prefer larger scale facilities

36. Achieving

37. What are young people doing now? Young people (1079) Unweighted base: All respondents

38. Highest qualification hoped to get *% Unweighted base: All respondents

39. How well do you think you are doing at school at the moment? School Children Unweighted base: All School children (4881)

41. How much do you enjoy school at the moment? School Children Unweighted base: All School children (4881)

43. How important are these things in helping you/your child do well in school/college, work or training? % saying each is important Unweighted base:All: School children (4881), young people (1079), parents (120)

44. How frequently do you have chance to do these things? % saying at least once a month Unweighted base:All: School children (4881), young people (1079)

45. Whether would prefer (child) to go to a single or mixed sex school? Unweighted base: All: School children (4881), parents (120)

46. Whether willing (for child) to travel to another school to do preferred subjects? Unweighted base: All: School children (4881), parents (120)

47. Whether happy or unhappy with the variety of secondary schools on offer in Luton? Unhappy Happy Happy Unhappy Unweighted base: All respondents

49. What could be done to make secondary schools or further/higher education in Luton better ? • Around a third of all sample groups could not spontaneously think of anything that would make education in Luton better • Main issues highlighted by all groups included • Better teachers (12% SC, 8% YP, 11% P) • Better choice of subjects (8% SC, 11% YP) • Improved discipline (8% SC, 2% YP, 15% P) • Improved facilities (7% SC, 2% YP) • 8% of parents said a better teacher:student ratio would make secondary schools in Luton better

50. Views on opportunities for 16-19 year olds to stay on in education in Luton? School Children (4881) Parents (120) Unweighted base: All respondents