My colleague Maqsood Sheikh in our Performance Management and Information Team sent me this briefing about this year's Audit Commission survey...

"Chris, the 2008 Audit Commission School Survey is now open for schools to complete on-line at http://www.audit-commission.gov.uk/schoolsurvey/. Any help you could offer when in contact with school leaders, including governors, to encourage completion of the survey would be appreciated. This is an established national survey participated in by virtually all authorities. It captures schools perceptions of services provided locally for children and young people. It is important that we get a good return, as the information from the survey will inform and help develop partnership working with a view to improving outcomes for children and young people in Leeds. Last year 54% of Leeds schools (including SILCs and PRUs) responded to the survey. This year every school completing the survey will be entered into a prize draw, and will have the chance to win five RM Asus minibooks. In addition to this, one in every fifty schools completing the survey will win a minibook and Canon camcorder. These fantastic prizes are being provided by our strategic ICT partner RM, which is supporting the delivery of our ICT vision across Leeds. The survey will remain open for the next six weeks until 16th July 2008. Results will be reported to schools in the autumn term 2008. Please contact me if you would like any further information. Thank you for your help. Maqsood"

We use the survey to help us improve our services to schools and I hope as many schools as possible will complete the survey this year to give us feedback on what is working well, what is not working well and what we need to do to further improve.
Chris