Student survey
The Tell Them From Me student survey provides school leaders with insights into student engagement, wellbeing and effective teaching practices at their school, from the perspective of students.
About the student survey
Eligible schools are asked to survey their students each year during the annual survey window in Term 2. School leaders typically receive their school's results within three business days of closing the survey.
From 2021 the department is asking all eligible schools to participate in the student survey. Further information can be found on the Participation in 2024 page (login required).
Which students can take the survey?
All students in Years 4 to 6 and 7 to 12 are encouraged to take part. The more students who complete the survey, the more reliable a school’s data will be.
The department is working to improve the accessibility of the surveys for all students. The student survey meets WCAG 2.0 accessibility requirements. Implementation guides are available to teachers assisting students with low literacy. Text-to-voice options are also available for students who require them.
How does it work?
The student survey is conducted entirely online during Term 2. The survey will take 15 to 20 minutes on average and no more than 30 minutes for most students.
Where students do not have access to personal devices, schools will need to make school computers available for students to complete the survey. Schools will be provided with information and consent forms for distribution to parents. Schools will also be provided with unique student usernames and passwords prior to the start of the survey.
To protect student confidentiality, data suppression rules are applied to the school reporting tools where sample sizes are too small.
Students, principals and school coordinators can log into the survey at: https://nsw.tellthemfromme.com/
Topics covered in the survey
| Primary students | Secondary students |
|---|---|
| participation in sports and extracurricular activities | academic self-concept |
| behaviour at school | truancy |
| effective learning time | aspirations: finishing year 12, university, tafe |
| use of ict for learning | wellness |
| homework behaviour | academic buoyancy |
| teaching relevance and rigour | advocacy outside school |
| sense of belonging | participation in sports and extracurricular activities |
| interest and motivation | behaviour at school |
| perseverance | effective learning time |
| positive relationships | use of ict for learning |
| effort | homework behaviour |
| experience of being bullied | teaching relevance and rigour |
| valuing school outcomes | sense of belonging |
| skills and learning challenge | interest and motivation |
| advocacy at school | perseverance |
| positive teacher – student relations | positive relationships |
| expectations for success | effort |
| positive learning climate | experience of being bullied |
| valuing school outcomes | |
| skills and learning challenge | |
| advocacy at school | |
| positive teacher – student relations | |
| expectations for success |
Access to survey questions
School principals and school coordinators can view the survey questions on the Tell Them From Me portal using their unique login. The survey questions are available in PDF form for participating schools.
Please note that the survey questions are the intellectual property of The Learning Bar and must not be distributed beyond your school or used in any manner other than that stipulated by the department.