Overview of the Secondary Cohort Study

The annual cycle for the Secondary Cohort Study will be similar each year.

Benefits, support and incentives

Engaging in ground-breaking research can be highly rewarding, and school leaders report that they are eagerly anticipating the publication of the Observatory’s annual reports as this will provide them with evidence about secondary mathematics education in England that will inform their thinking.

Schools are, however, busy places so the Secondary Cohort Study has been designed to be as straight forward and burden-free as possible. Instructional videos and guides are provided for staff so they can quickly understand what they need to do. There is also a short video and information sheet for pupils so that they understand their role in the study.

There is an annual incentive of £1000 made to each school to support the teaching and learning of mathematics.

The Observatory’s commitment to research partner secondary schools:

• Make an annual payment to each school when all surveys are complete.
• Provide clear and accessible information and instructions to ensure smooth running of the study.
• Send paper surveys for pupils to each school annually and provide prepaid return packaging.
• Provide annual, anonymised reports from the cohort study. We intend to build a data dashboard that will enable Research Partners to explore schools similar to their own.
• Ensure the highest standards of data security and confidentiality.

Research partner secondary schools’ commitments to the research.

• Make arrangements for pupils to complete a short paper survey during one lesson each year, from Year 7 onwards.
• Where appropriate, make arrangements for students studying A level Mathematics in Year 12 to complete a short online survey, and then again in the following Year 13.
• Heads of Mathematics complete a short online survey once per year.
• All teachers of mathematics invited to complete a short online survey once per year. 
• Letter to parents sent annually to inform them about the research and how they can withdraw their child. This letter will contain a link to a survey for parents in some years.
• Class lists provided including limited data for those pupils in the cohort study (name, DOB, URN) through our secure portal, once each year.

Case study schools

Around twenty of the 150 participating secondary schools will be invited to become case study schools. This will involve a small number of visits to the school each year by members of the Observatory team.  These visits will include interviews with staff (e.g. the Head of Department and some teachers of mathematics) and, where possible, the observations of one or two mathematics lessons. The case studies will explore some aspects of mathematics teaching and learning in more depth than is possible in surveys, including the reasons why teachers and leaders make the decisions that they do about mathematics education. The additional activities appear on this diagram of the annual cycle for case study schools.

Secondary Expert Advisory Panel

To support with the design and delivery of our ambitious Secondary Cohort Study, a panel of experts comprising system, trust, school and subject leaders is advising the OME team.

The Secondary Expert Advisory Panel meets three times a year to:

• Inform the OME team about developments, successes and challenges in secondary school mathematics.
• Advise on the design of the research methods (e.g. survey questions) in the Secondary Cohort Study.
• Advise on the operational challenges related to the Secondary Cohort Study.
• Receive reports and comment on the analysis of the data from the Secondary Cohort Study.

For school leaders 

We are due to academise or join a new multi-academy trust shortly. Will this affect our ability to participate in the Secondary Cohort Study?

No. Your school can continue to participate under your new arrangements.

We are due to have an Ofsted inspection in the near future. Should we decline the invitation in case the inspection falls on the same week as the pupil survey?

No. If the cohort of pupil surveys cannot be administered in the planned lesson for any reason - including school inspection - then it can take place when practically possible such as the same lesson the following week.

Our head teacher is going to change in the next year. Can we still accept the invitation to be a Research Partner School?

Yes. Being a Research Partner School should not be time intensive or burdensome. If a future school leader should decide that they do not want to continue participating in the secondary cohort study then they can withdraw the school, however, we feel confident that they will see the benefits and recognise that the research activities are manageable.

We have high levels of pupil mobility in our school. Can we still participate?

Yes. You will receive clear instructions on what to do if a pupil has left the school (tick a box on their survey sheet) or a new pupil has joined the school (give them one of the spare survey sheets). Pupil turnover is to be expected in schools, so we want schools with higher and lower levels of pupil turnover to be Research Partner Schools.

We have additional provision on site at our school. Will these pupils and teachers be included in the Cohort Study?

If the alternative provision is part of your school with pupils counted within your number on roll (and not a separate provider with its own URN) then they will be included in the study. If any pupils in the correct year group cohort, in this provision or your main school provision, are not able to access the survey then they will not complete it.

Pupils move between classes termly. Will this mean that we cannot participate because the classes are constantly changing?

No. Secondary schools use a range of grouping systems and some are very fluid. It is important that schools with all different types of grouping systems participate in the secondary cohort study. Each pack of surveys will contain additional surveys so that there are always enough for all pupils in each class, including any that have recently moved classes.

What happens if our school age range or size changes during the seven years of the study?

This is not an issue, and your school will continue in the study. If this happens and you are concerned that the changes will make an element of the research difficult then contact us and we can discuss this with you and together make a decision about how to proceed that will work for your school.

We do not set the pupils until part way through Year 7 so the initial class list data that we send may be different to the classes when the pupils complete the survey. Will this create problems?

We anticipate that some pupils will move between classes throughout the year and provide additional surveys so that there are always enough for the pupils in each class. However, If the classes are going to be completely restructured, please notify us and we explore the best was to proceed. We may need to request that the class list data is resent via our secure portal so that surveys can be batched into class lists correctly.

We are unable to take part this year but might be interested in taking part next year. If we decline this year, can we take part next year instead?

No. As this is a longitudinal study, we are requesting that each school begin participation in 2024/25 and continue for the following six academic years.

For teachers of mathematics and heads of mathematics

We have some persistent absentees in this cohort. If a pupil is absent when we do the pupil survey, will we need to commit to them completing the survey when they are next in school?

If a pupil is absent, then they do not complete the pupil survey. You will not need to commit lesson time or staffing for absentees to complete the survey at a later date.

We have pupils with complex special needs in some classes. How will they access the survey?

They can attempt to answer some or all of the survey questions, with adult support. If they are unable to understand the questions then they do not need to complete the survey.

We have some pupils who understand very little English. How will they access the pupil survey?

If there are words that the pupil does not understand, then the teacher can read or explain the statements to them. If the pupil does not understand sufficient English to access the questions, then this pupil should not complete the survey.

How long will it take to complete the pupil survey?

The pupil survey is being designed to take under 15 minutes, although this will vary from child to child. 

Will I be expected to complete the teacher survey, and will other teachers or school leaders be able to see my responses?

Teachers will be invited to complete a short online survey, but it is entirely your choice whether you would like to complete it or not.  We very much hope you will as it will improve the data set and increase the power of our findings. Your answers will not be shared with anyone else from your school and will be anonymised by the Observatory team. You will not be identified in any published reports.

How will the data be used, and by whom?

The data will be stored securely in a database where all respondents are anonymised. Data from all schools will be analysed together to identify patterns, themes and links across the survey responses from the 150 secondary schools. 

For school office or data managers

When our school sends class list data to the Observatory, will this be via a secure transfer system?

Yes. The Observatory team will provide clear instructions on how to enter and transfer the data. This will be via a secure system.

Do letters for parents need to be sent out in a specific format?

No. The letters can be emailed, shared via a communications portal or printed and handed out in paper form. Please use whichever system you normally use to send letters to parents.

As an invited Research Partner School, you should already have received these documents:

• Invitation letter
• Infographic one pager about the secondary cohort study

After you have accepted your invitation to be a Research Partner School, you will receive a confirmation email requesting that you sign a Memorandum of Understanding.  

When this is signed you are officially a Research Partner School of the Observatory for Mathematical Education. Shortly after this, further documentation will be sent to the school’s nominated key contact explaining some of the key dates. There will then be a quieter period over the Summer with little communication from the OME team. In the autumn term, Observatory staff will make contact with Research Partner schools with instructions prior to starting the study, for example regarding the process for informing parents.  

In the meantime, if you have any questions then please to not hesitate to get in touch with the Observatory team: mathsobservatory@nottingham.ac.uk. 

Letter to Year 7 students

Instructions for Y7 pupil survey

Information about the Year 7 student surveys for parents and guardians

Information about the Year 7 parent and guardian survey

Year 7 parent survey consent statements

Information about the secondary teacher survey

Secondary teacher survey consent statements