Information Sheet
Broadway Academy has agreed, in collaboration with Birmingham City Council, to carry out a yearly measurement of the emotional wellbeing of their pupils. This work is supported by the University of Warwick Youth Mental Health Research Team.
Please take time to read the following information and feel free to ask the Wellbeing Lead at your school any questions you may have.
What is the purpose of the wellbeing census?
We hope to use the data collected in the census to better understand the on-going emotional wellbeing of children and young people in schools in Birmingham. We can then use this data to inform future policies and help schools and services to better provide support to young people in the city. We can also use this data to evaluate current and future interventions that support young people in the city and try find out what works and is useful regarding their wellbeing.
What data is being collected?
We have purposely chosen to collect wellbeing data as it is a positive and low risk way for young people taking part (you can see the actual questions that are asked from the link below). The wellbeing data is collected via two commonly used surveys. They are easy to use, positively worded wellbeing questionnaires that have been tested as safe to use with young people. The survey also collects data around school connectedness which seeks to find out how connected a young person feels to their school, social eating and phone use. Secondary schools have a slightly longer survey with additional questions on drivers of wellbeing.
You can find out more about the project and the scales used in the survey via the following link www.breathe-edu.co.uk/census
Your child’s school will also share some basic information they already hold with the research team. This data includes Unique Pupil Numbers which are unique to pupils but are “blind codes” i.e. they do not contain any identifiable data by themselves (a similar example would be a National Insurance Number). The survey uses Unique Pupil Numbers to track pupil data from year to year and not to personally identify them. Other data collected will be school year, ethnicity, sex, year group and/or age, registered special educational needs and/or disability, absence percentage, registry to free school meals and limited pupil postcode (first 4 digits). All the data collected from schools is anonymous and Warwick University will not be able to identify your child. The data will also be encrypted and stored on secure server at the University of Warwick.
How will the wellbeing census be carried out?
The census is in a digital format and will be completed on computers or tablets provided by your child’s school (it can also be completed on smartphones if necessary). Teachers will be on hand to support pupils if needed. Surveys take place once a year during the school day and will be carried out under the supervision of a teacher. Sessions should take a maximum of 20 minutes.
The census complements broader government initiatives around improving social and emotional wellbeing in schools. Ultimately, we want every child aged 7 years and above, attending a Birmingham primary or secondary school, completing the census every year so they can be given a voice in shaping regional and localised wellbeing approaches.
What will happen if I don’t want my child to carry on being part of the study?
Taking part in this research is entirely voluntary and choosing to withdraw from the research without giving a reason, will not affect your child in any way. To withdraw you will just need to let your school know that you do not want to take part and they will not enter your child into the survey. Moreover, schools will tell pupils they needn’t take part. Once collected you will not be able to withdraw your child’s data but be assured that the information is anonymous and therefore will not be identifiable to your child.
Is it confidential?
All the information collected is anonymous before it is shared with Birmingham City Council and the University of Warwick Youth Mental Health Research Team. The purpose of the measurement is not to identify individuals but provide whole school data over time to better inform and improve wellbeing in pupil’s schools and across the city.
What happens to the information from the measurement?
The findings from this study will be collated by University of Warwick Youth Mental Health Research Team and which will in turn be shared with Birmingham City Council. The survey findings will also be written up into reports that can then be shared further and published to improve understanding in the area of school wellbeing. This will be done without reference to any named individuals. In the future, all of the findings may be added to the National Pupil Database or used by other researchers. This can help to make wellbeing support in schools better in the future. In these cases, any research team wanting to use your child’s data will need to prove to a team of research safety experts that they will be using it safely (this is called ethical approval). In addition to ethical approval, your child’s school may need to agree to the findings being used again.
Your data rights
For further information, please refer to the Birmingham City Council privacy notice which is available here:
https://www.birmingham.gov.uk/info/20154/foi_and_data_protection/384/privacy_statement/ 15
Who should I contact if I wish to make a complaint?
Any complaint about the way you have been dealt with during the study or any possible harm you might have suffered will be addressed. Please address your complaint to the person below, who is a senior University of Warwick official entirely independent of this study:
Head of Research Governance
Research & Impact Services University House
University of Warwick Coventry
CV4 8UW
Email: researchgovernance@warwick.ac.uk
Tel: 02476 575733
If you wish to raise a complaint on how we have handled your personal data, you can contact our Data Protection Officer who will investigate the matter:
The council’s Data Protection Officer can be contacted as follows:
Corporate Information Management Team PO Box 16366 Birmingham infogovernance@birmingham.gov.uk
If you are not satisfied with our response or believe we are processing your personal data in a way that is not lawful you can complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).
If you have any questions about the measurement or want to know more, please email: Deborah.j.benjamin@birmingham.gov.uk
Thank you