Reflections from term 1 student voice

Listening, learning and acting

Reflections from term 1 student voice

By Dr Sharon Smith, Assistant Head of T&L– Quality, and Hollie McFarlane, Assistant Head of T&L – Inclusion and SEND
| 02 Feb 2026

At Tute, our students sit at the core of everything we do. Their voices guide us, their needs shape our provision, and their experiences inform how we teach, support and respond.

Listening to students is not something we switch on at certain points in the year. It happens every day: in live lessons, mentoring conversations, form groups, student council, and the quieter moments where students share how they are really feeling.

Alongside this ongoing dialogue, we formally capture student voice every half term through our surveys. These help us step back, reflect on patterns over time, and understand how students are experiencing learning.

While student voice is captured formally, it doesn’t just sit in a report. It actively informs decisions across safeguarding, curriculum, inclusion, quality and student support.

What term 1 data
is telling us

At the end of term 1, students shared their views on how they experience learning with Tute.

While all of these results indicate positive learning experiences, the measures we observe most closely are students feeling safe, feeling valued, and liking their teachers. These indicators go to the heart of our values and reflect a culture of inclusive care.

Without safety, belonging and trust, students cannot engage meaningfully or reach their potential. This data gives us confidence that we are consistently creating the right conditions for learning.

97%

feel safe

in lessons

97%

said their answers
are valued

96%

said they like

their teachers

90%

said they enjoy

learning with Tute

Consistency
over time

One of the most reassuring aspects of our student voice data is its consistency. With over 8,200 responses collected over time, the core themes remain stable term on term.

We review this data carefully each half term to identify any emerging shifts, whether positive or negative, so that we can respond quickly and effectively. While percentage changes are often small at this level, even modest movement is meaningful when results are already consistently high.

Why feeling valued
matters

The increase in students reporting that their answers are valued this term (+2%) is not incidental.

Across lessons and pastoral support, Tute teachers recognise that students need to feel seen, heard and respected in order to access learning. This increase reflects consistent practice across lessons, rather than a one-off initiative, and is something to be genuinely proud of.

What students are
telling us in practice

Across formal feedback and everyday interactions, students consistently highlight the same factors that help them feel safe, included and able to engage.

Central to this is the presence of kind, patient teachers who listen and respond to students as individuals. Students regularly say they feel able to be themselves at Tute, without fear of judgement or pressure to perform before they are ready.

Predictable routines and consistent relationships are repeatedly identified as reassuring, particularly for students with SEND, EBSNA, anxiety or disrupted learning. Being able to work at their own pace and step back in gradually supports re-engagement in a way that feels manageable.

Mentoring and form groups are frequently referenced as spaces where belonging is built, reinforcing feelings of safety and trust alongside learning time. Informally, students echo this through comments such as “I love Tute,” “it’s better than school,” and “I feel listened to.”

Listening,
then acting

Student voice has directly informed several practical developments this term, helping ensure student feedback shapes provision in meaningful and visible ways.

How students shared

Student voice made formal

The establishment of the SHINE Council has created a consistent, formal route for students to share feedback, ideas and concerns, moving student voice beyond surveys and informal feedback.

This ensures student feedback influences decision-making rather than sitting alongside it.

What students told us

Accessibility and connection matter

Students told us that clarity, simplicity and ease of access are essential, particularly for those with SEND, anxiety or difficulties with navigation and organisation.

They also shared a strong desire for opportunities to connect with others beyond lessons, reinforcing the importance of belonging and peer connection.

What changed as a result

Provision shaped by feedback

In response, the Student Hub is being adapted to improve accessibility, and the inclusion team is developing extracurricular clubs to strengthen belonging, peer connection and engagement beyond lessons.

These developments reflect what students told us matters most to them in practice.

The SHINE values are visible in how these responses have been handled: acting supportively on feedback, being honest about what can change and when, designing inclusively, nurturing relationships, and maintaining ongoing dialogue.

Listening translates into consistency by protecting the routines, relationships and structures students say help them feel safe and able to engage.

What this means for partners

For partners, student voice provides reassurance that students are not only accessing provision, but experiencing it in a way that feels safe, supportive and purposeful.

It adds valuable context alongside attendance and progress data, helping inform placement decisions, reviews and next steps. Most importantly, it shows that students feel seen, heard and valued within the provision you trust us to deliver.

Student voice is not a one-off exercise at Tute. It is an ongoing conversation that helps us reflect, adapt and improve. By listening carefully and responding thoughtfully, we continue to build provision that meets students where they are and supports them to move forward with confidence.