Dept of Education Our Future Study

[Alice in Underland]

Have just received a letter informing me my year 9 daughter has been randomly selected for interview as part of this national research study.

The letter is on DoE headed paper but no contact address, email or phone number for the sender.

There is supposed to be an information leaflet enclosed, there isn't.
The name and phone number of the interviewer is supposed to be included at the end of the letter, there is just a blank space.

The phone number for enquiries goes through to an answerphone.

What is all this about ? Is someone going to turn up at my house on some random date and interview my daughter ?

Anyone else have experience of this ?

[Sally-Anne]

More information here: http://www.education.gov.uk/childrenand ... our-future" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Sounds like a right royal pain to me!

E.T.A.: The two research companies involved are highly professional, so you have nothing to worry about if you do allow her to take part.

[Alice in Underland]

Thanks Sally Anne.
I did find some more details on the DoE website but its doesn't answer the questions I need to know ie When do they do the interviews, where do they do them, and how is the interviewer going to contact us ?

I used to be in the Civil Service and I get really angry when departments run big public consultations or research projects and cannot even send out the relevant information in a decent covering letter.

[Sally-Anne]

The site says that they interview in your own home, so I would imagine it will be a weekday evening in term-time.

My guess is the interviewer will call you, because I suspect the DfE database includes phone numbers.

Agree on the shoddy presentation though - infuriating. You will find BMRB/NOP people to be far more professional though! (I had many dealings with them years ago.)

[mystery]

Perhaps the reason is because the d f e does not have much of a future? Strange project title.

[Alice in Underland]

its a liner study running for several years, according to the website. I am surprised the office for population and census ( or whatever they are called) does not do this type of thing.