Senior Leadership Team Market Research
We regularly conduct research with members of the senior leadership team and other senior roles within schools (secondary and primary), colleges and universities. We can conduct research through our own online panel, via our in-house telephone unit, or through a face to face methodology. Our research team are adept at conducting both qualitative and quantitative market research in the UK and abroad.
Our Online Education Market Research Panel
We collect data about our respondents’ role as part of the sign up process for the VoicED education community – our own proprietary education market research panel. Through this, we have access to Head Teachers, Deputy Heads, Heads of Department and Curriculum Leaders among others. Through our panel, we are able to approach members of the senior leadership team and offer them the opportunity to complete research in their own time, in an environment that they are used to and have come to trust. In addition, we find that individuals who are part of the senior leadership team are often very engaged as we provide incentives to benefit both the individual teacher and the wider school or our charity partner, the Prince’s Teaching Institute.
Our panel can be used to complete quantitative online surveys, or to recruit for qualitative senior leadership team market research projects – such as depth interviews or focus groups. These can be carried out online or by telephone, or in a face to face environment depending on the nature of the topic and the geographic target area.
In-House Telephone Unit
We have our own in-house 60-station CATI (computer aided telephone interviewing) unit with a team of specially trained consumer and B2B interviewers, including many who have several years’ experience interviewing senior education leaders. We understand that educators, particularly members of the senior leadership team such as head teachers and heads of department, are often busy people, and thus work around them to try and set a time that is appropriate for research to take place if our first call is not an ideal time.
UK-Wide Field Force
We have a field force which consists of more than 1000 trained interviewers spread across the UK – England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland – as well as access to fieldwork providers internationally. If deemed appropriate, we are able to complete face to face research within schools and a proportion of our interviewers (and members of our research team) are DBS checked (previously CRB) to allow them to complete this form of research.
Case Studies
A Major Education Trade Union in England, Wales and Northern Ireland
Our team has completed research for a trade union and professional association specifically targeted at those holding leadership roles in early years, primary, special and secondary schools, FE colleges, pupil referral units and other education establishments. We interviewed Head Teachers and School Business Managers with regards to their attitudes towards a number of services currently being employed by the school and how those services were provided.
We completed 179 interviewers using an online methodology. The survey considered issued such as recruitment services, ICT, repair and maintenance services, insurance and health and safety advice among other topics.
Our research gave the Union a better understanding of who was responsible for purchasing services in schools, who provided those services and if there was a market for the union to begin providing related services to its members.
A Leading UK-Based Awarding Body
We recruited and carried out four focus groups of 10 education professionals on behalf of a leading awarding body. There were strict quotas in place, and we were required to recruit subject leaders from within schools, colleges and training providers. Subject leaders covered different topics (i.e. maths, history and English) and we were also required to find, for each focus group, at least one individual who mainly used the awarding body in question, one who sometimes did, and one who did not but would be open to changing. We also recruited a mix of those from independent and state schools or colleges.
This qualitative research aimed to understand the views of members of the senior leadership team on exam boards and awarding bodies.
If you are a leader in your school or other education establishment and would like to take part in senior leadership team market research, please visit our online community and join today. You can earn incentives for both yourself and your institution or the Prince’s Teaching Institute (it is your choice!).
