You are never too old to learn...

Focus group research can often be window-dressing for shepherding people into ticking pre-determined boxes. But patiently nurturing open discussion, listening with an open mind - and acting on it - can achieve spectacular results.

Bristol City Council commissioned Knowle West Media Centre (KWMC) to provide an innovative pilot website for the Bridge Learning Campus, a foundation ‘all through' school combining primary, secondary, special needs and college facilities on a single site in one of the city's most disadvantaged areas. In his role as the Media Centre's ‘Digital Innovator', Robert Woolf was brought in to help with the original research and then build the digital media platform.

The brief called for the development of internet tools to keep parents informed about the school, as part of the national ‘Gateway to Educational Services' initiative; focussing principally on practical issues such as providing an online school admissions service. So far, so straightforward.

Workshops

But workshops with a group of those parents threw up some startling responses. The discussions orchestrated by Robert and Penny Evans, KWMC's Assistant Director, revealed that they were frustrated about the process of information and felt ignored by the education system. Robert says: "They cared passionately about their children's schooling but didn't feel they were ‘in the loop' of communication, that they weren't getting answers to their questions."

Ayleen Driver, the Children and Young People's Services ICT Manager for Bristol City Council, says: "I was surprised at some of the comments - and very pleased that they felt sufficiently relaxed, valued and respected to say things from the heart."

Parents who took part in the workshops say Robert's approach and attitude helped foster that honesty. One, Mil Lusk, says: "He allowed us to express ourselves freely and he got really truthful, direct discussions going in the focus group; it wasn't forced or contrived.

"He speaks to you in a way you can understand, then he listens and makes sure he understands what you're getting at."

The parents' responses completely reshaped the team's thinking, and pointed the project down an unforeseen path - towards the provision of Chalk Talk', a social media tool where parents could talk on line, exchange information and provide support for each other; a ‘virtual school gate'.

Robert points out: ‘There's a huge amount of wisdom in parents which isn't really tapped. Some have had children in the system continuously through 20 years - that's two decades of knowledge and experience which could be harnessed to mentor and advise other parents.
‘So we reflected that online.'

Creative use of social media

Robert and the team at SEA developed a basket of tools and technologies to help parents get involved with their children's schooling in new ways. The mix of website, chat room, mobile/email alerts and video carousels uploaded on YouTube enable the parents to share their views, access services such as free school meals and online school applications, and provide a single source of information from Bridge Campus and Bristol City Council.

Penny says the whole development process, through from the initial workshops to the delivery of the online package, was the product of an excellent collaborative partnership. "We were commissioned to do this because of our knowledge and experience in engaging the community in media projects and developing this kind of content. Robert brought a strong skill set and expertise into the mix to create a really innovative and exciting digital platform."

The finished product was, in fact, so novel that the Bridge Campus was initially cautious about adopting it. Ayleen says: "We were able to demonstrate to the school that we could support them in engaging more fully with parents, which eased their concerns. That was very much down to Robert's interpersonal skills, and also his technical skills, in showing them how we'd go about that.

"I'm very pleased with the way things have gone; it was a well managed project and all of the players did what they said they'd do in the timescales agreed - despite the fact that it wasn't the linear process we'd anticipated at the start. Robert had a very pragmatic but positive approach; I would certainly be happy to work with SEA again."

As was the school - which promptly hired SEA to work on its own website.