Pupil Voice Creativity Research
Birkdale Primary School
Investigators
Aaron, Ben, Charley, Ellen, Ellie,
Hannah, Leanne, Richard
What we did
• Questionnaires
– Reception & Key Stage 1 (same numbers of boys and
girls randomly selected by teachers)
– Key Stage 2 (same numbers of boys and girls
randomly selected by teachers)
– Adults (all teachers)
• Interviews
– Reception & Key Stage 1
– Key Stage 2
– Adults (4 teachers, 1 parent)
Hannah wrote this report
• The reason for this is we want to see what children and
teachers think of the school and what they think
creativity is. Us 6 [Hannah me, Ellie, Ben, Ellen , Aaron
and Charley] have had to do interviews and questioners
also with that information we have had to analyse the
data .this was hard as we had to listens to it and look at
it. All the equipment we needed was in the school but it
was very hard to work as we have never used it before
as nothing like this had happened to us before.
• I think the interviews were very hard as I could not stop
laughing. The other children we are working with had
never done this before so it was fair as we had never
done it ether so it was very fun but it was not easy. It
was very hard also the easy bit was getting to no every
body. they are all very nice people including the teachers
and helpers. I have had fun working with Mathilda and
all the others.
Reception + Key Stage 1 Questionnaire findings
• Why do Year 1 girls like
listening the most?
Q1 which of these are the most exciting and
fun
16
14
12
10
People 8
6
4
2
0
• Why do Reception boys like
en
r
he
ot g
in
py
co g
in
ay
pl g
in
ng
si ing
st
Li
copying but Reception girls
don’t but it’s the other way
round in Yr1?
Activities
RB
Do they want to make a good
impression?
Do they really think this?
RG
Y1B
Y1G
Y2B
Y2G
Reception boys find copying
easier – Reception girls like to
have their own ideas. Yr 1
boys try to catch up and want
to have their own ideas.
• Why do Reception boys and
Year 1 girls think fun &
excitement help you learn?
Is it because there’s more fun
and excitement in reception for
boys?
Q2 Does fun and excitment help you learn
3
Is it because there is a
difference between Year 1s in
the main building and Year1s
in the other building?
2.5
2
YES
how many 1.5
MABEY
NO
1
• Maybe people in the main
building need more fun and
excitement because it’s more
serious and there’s not so
much open space.
0.5
0
RB
RG
Y1B
Y1G
people
Y2B
Y2G
• Reception boys don’t like
working alone, why?
• They may want to rely on
others to do the work.
• Reception girls don’t like
working in groups, why?
• They want to be independent
or bossy girls don’t get on with
each other or they might not
have many friends yet.
• Year 1 girls do like working in
groups, why?
• They’ve now made more
friends.
• Why do boys always want to
do the opposite thing to the
main style of working?
Q3Do you get your best ideas when you...
3
2.5
2
workalone
group
1.5
bit of both
1
0.5
0
RB
RG
Y1B
Y1G
Y2B
Y2G
• Year 1 learn from
listening more than
anything else and more
than other year groups.
Why?
• They don’t think they
learn through making
• Perhaps the teacher talks
more
• Perhaps the teacher says:
you’ll learn if you listen
Q4Do you learn more when you...
4
3.5
3
2.5
Listen
• We were surprised that
make
2
find out
1.5
1
•
0.5
0
RB
RG
Y1B
Y1G
Y2B
Y2G
Reception learn through
finding out, not just
listening.
Why don’t Year 2 boys
think they learn through
listening?
• For Reception and
•
Year 1 fun and
excitement happens
both at school and at
home. Why is it so
different for year 2?
Why does no one in
year 2 think fun and
excitement happen in
school?
• The seriousness of
SATs in Year 2 means
school is not fun and
exciting anymore
Q5 Where does fun and excitment happen to
you...
3
2.5
2
school
home
1.5
somewhere else
1
0.5
0
RB
RG
Y1B
Y1G
Y2B
Y2G
• Most children enjoy
•
• They probably didn’t
Q6 Do you enjoy creativity
5
4.5
4
3.5
YES
3
SOMETIMES
2.5
SOMETIMES
2
NO
1.5
NO
1
0.5
0
RB
RG
Y1B
Y1G
Y2B
Y2G
creativity.
Why is there data
missing on this
question?
understand the word
creativity, since this is
the only question in
which we used the
word ‘creativity’ for
Reception/ Key Stage
1.
Key Stage 2 Questionnaire findings
Q1 What Is creativity?
5
Y3B
4
Y3G
Y4B
3
Y4G
2
Y5B
1
Y5G
Y6B
0
Art
•
•
•
•
•
•
Doing
Daydreem
Other
Y6G
Year 4 boys think only doing is creative. Why?
Perhaps doing covers everything for them.
Only Year 5 boys think art is creative, none of the other boys do. Why?
Perhaps they did a Creative Partnership project that no other year did.
Most arts projects happen in year 3 & 4, not Year 5 or 6
Is this a question of staffing and resourcing?
Q2 How Creative are these lessons?
16
14
12
Science
10
Art
8
Literacy
6
Numeracy
4
History
2
0
Y3B
Y3G
Y4B
Y4G
Y5B
Y5G
Y6B
Y6G
• Art is seen as creative by all
• Year 3 boys think that literacy and numeracy lessons are
•
not creative compared with boys in other years. Why?
In years 3 & 4 boys think numeracy is less creative than
girls, but in Years 5 & 6 they agree. Why?
Q3 When do you feel most creative?
5
Y3B
4
Y3G
Y4B
3
Y4G
2
Y5B
1
Y5G
Y6B
0
Daydream
•
•
•
•
•
Write stories
Reading
Y6G
Only Year 5 thinks reading could be creative. Why?
Perhaps they had more interesting texts?
But, Year 6 had the same texts and they didn’t think it’s creative.
Perhaps it’s the teaching, is it?
Why do Year 5 boys think writing stories is less creative than other
boys?
• Is it because they want to write what they want, not what they’re
told.
• But why do Year 6 boys think writing is more creative, since it’s
even more structured in Year 6?
• Perhaps it’s to do with how the work is presented to them.
Q4 how creative is this school?
5
Y3B
4
Y3G
Y4B
3
Y4G
2
Y5B
1
Y5G
Y6B
0
Y6G
1
• Why do Year 5 boys rate the creativity of the school
lower then others?
• The data from Year 5 boys is never level with the data
from the other years.
• They’re either higher or lower. Why?
Q5 Where does creativity happen the most
5
4
3
2
1
0
re
wa
m
so
d
be
In de
tsi
Ou me
ho
At ool
h
sc
At
els
Y3B
Y3G
Y4B
Y4G
Y5B
Y5G
Y6B
Y6G
• Year 3 girls, Year 3 boys, Year 5 boys, Year 6 girls and
Year 6 boys think creativity does not happen at school at
all. This is a big difference from Key Stage 1. Why?
Year 6 boys think creativity happens best in bed.
•
• Perhaps that’s why Aaron’s not here today.
• Year 6 girls think creativity happens most outside. That’s
surprising! We thought it would be the boys.
Q6 How creative are these places?
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
Y3B
Y3G
Y4B
Rec.class
Y4G
Hall
Y5B
office
Y5G
Y6B
Y6G
Resource.h.
• Reception class and resource hall are most creative for
all but Year 3 boys.
Why are these places seen as creative?
•
• These are busy places, there’s lots going on and they are
full of our own ideas and our own artwork.
• The office is the least creative.
• It would be nice to have more colour in the office. It
would make it more welcoming.
Main messages
• Everyone has got their own personality and their
•
•
•
•
education should be based partly around them.
School pupils have a lot of different opinions.
That’s why it’s important to listen to our
opinions.
It’s important that everyone gets a say, not just
the 6 of us.
Boys think a bit differently about school than
girls. Boys have different perspectives.
Play is not just for Reception. You can learn
through playing at all ages.
Our research song
A teacher took a question the wrong way
But sometimes it is nice to have your own say
I like the interviews ‘cos there’s lots of different answers
But the little ones gave the best.
You get to know people’s personalities
They have their own opinions
But we can disagree!
A teacher took a question the wrong way
But sometimes it is nice to have your own say
I like the interviews ‘cos there’s lots of different answers
But the little ones gave the best.
Thank you for listening