2016Parent Opinion Survey – Step by Step Guide
Step-by-Step Guide for Principals to the 2016Parent Opinion Survey
This guide is designed to assist principals with the steps they need to conduct the 2016 Parent Opinion Survey.
Step 1 –If you are a multi-campus schooland do not wantto receive campus level data,please advise DET by Friday 15July.
Schools who do not wish to receive campus level data can advise DETvia email, or via the Census Hotline on 9637 3225.
Multi-campus schools that do not advise DET will receive school data for each campus and for theschool as a whole.
Step 2 - Copies of surveys
The number of surveys sent to your school is based on 15 per cent of your FTE student enrolment or up to 40 copies, whichever is the greater number. An additional 10 per cent for slippage is also included.
If your school wishes to distribute questionnaires to additional families, questionnaires can be requested depending on demandafter 20July.Contact details and information about how to do this are supplied on your school’s Tally Sheet.
Multi-campus schools wanting results by campus should obtain a sample for each campus by following the instructions as described in Step 3 for each campus.
Step 3 - Obtain the survey sample from CASES21 (Refer to CASES21 User Guide 16 - School Management - Page 13)
Step 1: On CASES21, under the menu path School/School/School, run the Random Sample Report task.
Step 2: You will be asked to enter the Number of Records required.Enter either 15 per cent of the total number of students in your school (or campus if applicable) or 40, whichever is the larger number.For schools with less than 40 students, enter the number of students you have enrolled. Sampling either 15 per cent of enrolments or 40 means many small schools will be generating a list of all parents.
Step 3: Select Retrieve Random Sample.
Step 4: Select Print to print the generated list of students and parents.If you plan to mail the questionnaires out to parents, rather than sending the questionnaire home with students, you may also like to print labels by selecting Labels.
Please ensure you obtain the sample from CASES21, not the outdated Opinion Survey System.
Printing labels
If you want to print address labels, you must produce them at the time you create the sample list.If you try to produce them later on, you will have to run a new sample list.
Labels need to be printed on Avery Unistat 38935 labels.
Step 4 –Check and edit survey sample list by Friday 15July
Step 1: Clean up the hard-copy sample list by deleting old records, duplicates or parents for whom it is not possible to complete the survey.
Step 2: Check the sample list for the following:
- If more than one student in the sample is from the same family/household, cross out the younger student/s so that the questionnaire is given to the eldest child.Mark the crossed out students with “duplicate family”
- If a student has left the school, cross them out and mark “left school”
- If the family is unable to complete the questionnaire in one of the available translations, cross them out and mark “language not available” (refer to thelist of available Translated Guides at
- Any other changes to the sample list should be accompanied by a similar explanatory note on the hard-copy list.
Step 3: The total number of families left on the clean sample list is the final sample size.Write the final sample size on the top of the clean sample list as you will need it later on.
Step 4:Keep your clean sample list for later use when distributing the questionnaires to the sampled parents.
Step 5 - All schoolswill receive the survey materials by Tuesday 19July
By Tuesday 19July, all schools should have received a letter to the principal and a package containing:
- Letter to parents
- Tally sheet
- Surveys
- Envelopes
- Translatedguides in languages other than English (for photocopying)
- E-Parcel label for use when returning surveys
- Step-by-Step Guide for Principals to the 2016 Parent Opinion Survey
Please note:In multi-campus schools, there will be a separate package delivered for each campus and these will be mailed to the appropriate campus postal address.
Unused surveys
As explained in Step 2 above, you will receive an additional supply of surveys for slippage.There is no need to use these surveys to sample additional parents. Please recycleany unusedquestionnaires as they cannot be used again.
Step 6 - Prepare the survey packages to send to parents by Friday 22 July
Step 1: Prepare a survey package for all parents identified on your clean sample list.Each survey package will consist of:
- A letter to parents
- Survey
- An envelope
- A Translated Guide in languages other than English (where appropriate)
Additional copies of Translated Guides online
Please photocopy sufficient copies of the Translated Guides you received inyourschool package.
Step 7 - Sendsurvey pack to parents on Monday 25 July
To distribute the survey packages to parents, you can either:
- ask students to take them home,
- post the package home (the folded questionnaire and envelope fit easily into a DLX envelope).
Instructions for parents
Schools should request that parents:
- complete the questionnaire,
- put it in the envelope provided,
- seal the envelope,
- write the name and year level of their child on the back of the envelope,
- return it to the school by the end of the week, Friday 29July 2016.
Step 8 -Tips for maximisingyourschool’s response rate
For tips and suggestions from other schools about how to maximise your response rates please see the Frequently Asked Questions:
Step 9 - Collecting completed questionnaires
As students and parents return the completed questionnaires, tear off the back flap with the student’s name on it and mark the student’s name off against yourclean sample list.
Step 10 - Extra week for late returns and maximising response rate
An extra week has been factored into the return period to allow for late returns. This period ends on Friday 5 August 2016.
Step 11 - Send completed questionnaires and Tally Sheet to the contractoron Monday 8 August 2016
Step 1: All completed questionnaires mustbe sent in their sealed envelopes with the back flaps torn off, to the contractor using the reply-paid satchels/boxes supplied.
Step 2: Also include the completed Tally Sheet (completed by recording the number of questionnaires sent out).The number of questionnaires sent out will be used to calculate your school’s response rate.
Step 3: When lodging the parcelstick the e-Parcel return label over the existing e-parcel label and lodge at your nearest Australia Post outlet. No payment of postage is required. Please remember to request a receipt for your own records. If you are returning 50 surveys or less, an envelope has been provided with the return eParcel label already attached for your convenience.
A sample of the return eParcel is shown below:
Lost Tally Sheets or eParcel labels
Should you lose either the Tally Sheet or the eParcel return label then please send an email to:.
Late returns
Completed questionnaires received by the contractor after 19 August will not be processed in time for the reporting date of 04 October 2016.
Any completed questionnaires received by schools after the majority have been sent back to the contractor may still be able to be processed. Please return all late surveys to:
POS VIC PROCESSING CENTRE, REPLY PAID 83217, NUNAWADING BC, VIC 3131
Please email for further details or assistance.
Step 12 –Please keep the clean sample list and torn off back flaps for audit purposes
A small number of schools may be audited to evaluate whether the appropriate processes have been followed.The auditor will need to see the clean sample list and torn off back flaps so please ensure these are kept in a safe place for easy reference.
Further information
All documentation about the survey, including answers to Frequently Asked Questions (which will be updated regularly), is available at:
Should you require any further information, please or call the Census Hotline on 9637 3225.
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