FAQs - Parent, Pupil and Learner Voice

Frequently Asked Questions

About the survey

Why is this survey taking place?

Parent, Pupil and Learner Voice collects information and experiences of education from parents, pupils and learners.

The results of the survey will help the Department for Education to better understand the experiences of young people and families like yours.

To see results from previous years, please click here.

Who is conducting the survey?

The Department for Education has asked Verian to carry out this survey for them. Verian is an independent research organisation and is a full member of the Market Research Society. Verian also has lots of experience of carrying out high quality research. To learn more about Verian, please visit www.veriangroup.com.

Taking part

Why were you selected to take part?

You have been invited to take part in this important research because you either go to a school or college in England, or you are a parent or guardian of a child who goes to a school in England. We randomly select participants’ contact details from the National Pupil Database and Individualised Learner Record. These are databases held by the Department for Education. Verian have been given permission to use the contact details for research.

Why are my views important?

We need people from all backgrounds and parts of the country to take part. Your views are important to help the government to understand how they can better support pupils and families.

What kind of questions will be asked?

The surveys will cover a range of topics. For example, they might include questions about using mobile phones in school, awareness of different study programmes, childcare, and school attendance. They might also include questions about some more sensitive or personal topics like mental and physical health and ethnicity. You might be asked questions like “Which qualifications have you heard of?”, “How often do you feel lonely?”, or “How well has your child settled in at secondary school?”.

How do I complete the survey?

What do I need to do?

If you have received a letter from us, you can take part online by following the instructions provided in the letter.

You just need to go to the Parent, Pupil and Learner Voice survey login page, and enter your username and passcode in the spaces provided. You can find your username and passcode on the letter we sent you.

If you’ve received an email or a text message, please click on the link provided to access the survey.

I don’t have a username and passcode to get into the questionnaire

You can call the freephone helpline on 0800 046 8270 or email us at pplvoice@veriangroup.com and we will be able to give you your log in details. However, if you have not received a letter from us, then you have not been selected to take part.

How long is the questionnaire?

The survey length will vary depending on what answers you give. The initial registration survey will take around 15 minutes to complete. Once you’ve signed up to the panel, the other surveys will be shorter, around 10 minutes.

Do I have to answer every question?

We would like you to complete as many questions as you can. However, if there is any question that you don’t know the answer to, or that you don’t feel comfortable answering, you can move on to the next question by selecting either the ‘Don’t know’ or ‘Prefer not to say’ answer option.

Your answers will be reported anonymously, meaning that it will not be possible to identify you in any published reports.

I don’t understand a question

For some questions, we have included buttons that you can click on to bring up some additional information to help you. If you still don’t understand a question, please get in touch with us by email at pplvoice@veriangroup.com or by calling out dedicated helpline team between 9am and 5pm on Monday to Friday on 0800 046 8270 and we will try and help you.

I think I’ve made a mistake and answered a question incorrectly, can I go back and change my answer?

Yes, you can go back and change your answer simply by clicking the back button. Please only use the next and back buttons at the bottom of the survey - do not use the forward and back buttons on your internet browser. To see what these buttons look like, please click here.

Once you have completed the survey, you will not be able to go back and change your answers.

Do I have to complete it all in one go?

No. You can complete it in stages if you want to. The survey will be saved automatically, so just shut your browser to leave. To come back to it, you can go to www.pplvoice.co.uk, enter your username and passcode again and you will be returned to the point you left off.

The survey timed out

To protect the confidentiality of your answers, the survey is logged out if it is left for a period of time. Your answers will have been saved, so you can just log back in by going to www.pplvoice.co.uk and entering your username and passcode again or by clicking on the link in the email as before and you will be returned to the point you left off.

I have entered the username and passcode / clicked on my link but get this message: “Our records show that you have already completed the questionnaire. Thank you for your time!”

Although it is possible to fill in the questionnaire in more than one sitting, once you have completed the survey, it becomes locked and it is not possible to go back in and change the answers. If you are seeing this message and don’t think you have completed the questionnaire, please contact us and we will try to help.

Can I complete the survey on my smartphone?

Yes, you can complete the survey on your smartphone or any other device, including a tablet, laptop or desktop computer.

I have done my survey, but you still sent me a reminder

Thanks for completing the survey! It might be that you completed the survey after we checked our records and sent out the reminder. Our apologies – if you completed the survey online we will have safely received your answers.

Confidentiality and data protection

Is the information I provide safe online?

We take our responsibilities to keep your personal information secure very seriously. As such, we take every reasonable precaution to ensure your information is protected from loss, theft, or misuse. We use a secure Website (HTTPS) to ensure that your data is protected. This is the same type of website that you would generally see when shopping online.

As part of our commitment to the security of your information, Verian has regular internal and external audits of its information security and is accredited to the International Standard for Information Security, ISO 27001.

What about cookies?

The website uses cookies to detect your device’s operating system, screen resolution and the browser you are using in order to adjust the survey to best suit your system. This information is returned to us and stored for statistical purposes only. We do not collect or store any personal information through cookies. It is possible for you to delete cookies or to prevent their use by adjusting the browser settings on your computer.

Is this survey confidential?

Yes. Your answers and personal details will be kept in the strictest confidence and stored electronically on a secure server. Your survey answers will be used for research purposes only. Only researchers at Verian and the Department for Education will know what you have said. All statistics will be reported anonymously, meaning that it will not be possible to identify you in any published reports. You will not receive any ‘junk mail’ as a result of taking part. Verian comply with a range of security policy requirements, including those set by the Market Research Society Code of Conduct, the Data Protection Act and General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

What if I disclose sensitive information?

We take our responsibility to keep your survey answers confidential very seriously. However, if we believe you or anyone around you is in direct threat of harm as a result of something you’ve disclosed, we may email you to advise you on where you could go for support, or – in some exceptional circumstances – the Department for Education may contact the safeguarding lead at your/your child’s school. This will only happen in the most serious circumstances.

Data Protection

Taking part is voluntary and any information you give us will be used only with your consent. Your answers will be processed in compliance with the Data Protection Action 2018 and General Data Protection Regulation.

For more information about how we keep your data safe, click here.

What will happen to the results of the surveys?

Your answers will be grouped with all the answers from thousands of others who take part in the research. The results will be written up in published reports in which it will be impossible to identify you or your individual answers. Quotes from individual written survey responses may be published, however these will be fully anonymous, with any personal identifiers removed.

For more information on your privacy, please visit www.pplvoice.co.uk/privacypolicy.html. To see results from previous years, please click here.

Contact us

If you would like any further details about the survey or have any issues completing the survey, you can email us at pplvoice@veriangroup.com or call our dedicated helpline team between 9am and 5pm on Monday to Friday on 0800 046 8270.

Please have your reference number to hand. You will be able to find your reference number on the letter we sent to you. If you no longer have the letter or email, please contact us on the above details and we will try to help you.

If a member of the team is not available to take your call, please leave a message and we will get back to you as soon as we can. Please leave your telephone number, full name and the reference number from the top of your invitation email or letter.