Attitudes are formed by and affect how we feel, what we do and how we think. In a school setting, a pupil’s attitudes to learning can influence their whole experience of education and have significant effects on their overall levels of attainment, engagement and well-being. Through regular assessment, a complete picture of a pupil’s motivation, strengths, anxieties, school-based relationships and future learning behaviours can be built.

The benefits of PASS are extensive. In particular, it helps schools and professionals to:

• inform teaching strategies and intervention programmes to help raise standards of attainment and pupil well-being

• tackle challenging behaviour, a key requirement of the new inspection framework

• address attendance issues through the identification of those most risk at of playing truant, up to 12 months in advance

• truly understand the root-attitudinal factors that affect the behaviours of pupils’, to aid effective target setting and highlight areas of development for every individual

• support emotionally vulnerable young people and those with possible mental health issues, to ensure those most at risk do not slip through the net

• identify problems at an early stage

What is the PASS survey?

The 20 minute survey covers nine factors proven to be linked to key educational goals, including attitude to attendance, preparedness for learning and response to the curriculum. A low score in any factor can pinpoint negative attitudes that might not otherwise be apparent. The resulting data can help teachers open a window into their pupils’ mindset, allowing truly effective interventions to be put in place and providing a benchmark to evidence progress.