Once again, the City of Helsinki carried out its survey among parents and guardians in May this year.
A total of 4,574 parents and guardians whose children attend Finnish- and Swedish-language schools run by the City of Helsinki took part in the survey.
Majority of parents and guardians in Helsinki would recommend their child’s school
According to the survey, parents and guardians are, overall, very satisfied with schools. They feel that the teachers treat them with respect and kindness.
According to the parents’ and guardians’ responses, most children enjoy going to school and have friends there as well. They feel that their child receives support with their learning when needed.
For the first time, parents were also asked how likely they were to recommend their child’s school to others. On a scale of 0 to 10, the most common rating was 9. The average rating was 8. In other words, the majority of parents would recommend their child’s school to others.
In the open-ended responses, particular praise was given to the smooth running of day-to-day life and the work of the teachers.
“It is great to hear that parents and guardians are so pleased with the way schools in Helsinki are run. This is certainly thanks to the staff at our schools,” says Director of Comprehensive Education Ville Raatikainen of the survey results.
“There is, of course, always room for improvement, and the results of the survey provide us with useful background information for this work,” adds the Director of Swedish-Language Comprehensive Education Niclas Rönnholm.
More information for parents and guardians on learning objectives
The survey highlighted the flow of information as an area for improvement. Although parents and guardians felt that they could always get hold of the school staff when needed, they wanted more varied information on how their child’s learning and life at school were going.
If parents had not recommended their child’s school, the reasons given in the open-ended responses included the attractiveness of the school grounds or the functionality of the school facilities.
Survey to be carried out annually from now on
Schools have received their school-specific results, and they will be used to improve the schools’ operations. In addition to this, the responses will be taken into account when planning the activities of the City of Helsinki Education Division.
In the future, the feedback survey for parents and guardians will be renewed. Previously, the survey was carried out every two years. Going forward, the survey will be shorter and carried out annually. In addition to this, feedback may be collected, for example, at parents’ evenings.