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What is the Queensland Engagement and Wellbeing Survey?
The Queensland Engagement and Wellbeing (QEW) Survey is designed to measure how state school students view their wellbeing and engagement. The survey collects data from Queensland schools in a consistent and systematic way. The results of the survey tell schools and the department about how groups of students (e.g. year levels and all students in a school) feel about their wellbeing and engagement. This information will allow us to better support our students and meet their needs.
The survey is open to all Queensland state schools, however, participating in the survey is voluntary for schools and students.
What kind of questions will the survey ask?
The survey measures many aspects of students' wellbeing, engagement and experience at school. It includes questions about resilience; school climate; sense of belonging; motivation and perseverance; academic self-concept; personal social capabilities; general life satisfaction; future outlook and aspirations; relationships with peers, teachers and at home; and general health.
The survey does not ask questions about psychological wellbeing (e.g. anxiety or depression) because these are addressed by schools in an individual way with the support of appropriately qualified wellbeing staff. This means the survey is a ‘non-diagnostic’ tool that is able to provide information about groups of students (e.g. year levels) but does not assess the wellbeing of any individual student.
Access the survey questions for:
In 2025, 2 simplified surveys will be
trialled with students in special schools and students in Years 2 and 3. The surveys have simplified questions with images and yes/no/sometimes choice options. The aim of the trial is to make our wellbeing data collection more inclusive and give more students the chance to have a say.
Students in specials schools will be able to complete either the 12 question or 44 question survey. Students in Year 2 and 3, in participating schools, will automatically be directed to the 44 question QEW Survey.
Where can I find information in my language?
Letters to parent have been translated into the following languages:
A
short video with an Auslan translation and
transcript is also available.
How will taking part in this survey benefit my child?
Participation in the survey will give schools insight into student engagement and wellbeing from the perspective of students. Data collected from the survey responses are quickly compiled into reports for school leaders, which identify the level of engagement and wellbeing at a school level, and within year level groups at a school. Principals can then use this information to help them identify emerging issues, encourage identified strengths and plan for school improvement.
How long does the survey take to complete?
The survey takes approximately 30 minutes for secondary students and 45 minutes for primary students. It will be conducted online during class time.
How will my child be supported during and after the survey?
The QEW Survey can be administered flexibly. Teachers and/or support staff may give additional assistance to students who require support. If you have any concerns about your child receiving support when participating in the survey, please contact your school.
Students doing the survey are given a support card that asks if they would like a follow-up conversation with a school staff member and lists helpful wellbeing contacts. Schools are given advice about how to support students after the survey.
Does my child have to participate?
Participation in the QEW Survey is voluntary. Choosing not to participate will not affect your child’s education in any way. Schools that participate in the QEW Survey are required to send information home to parents and you can withdraw your child by contacting the school before the survey starts.
Your child will also be asked if they would like to participate before starting the survey. They will be free to stop or withdraw at any time.
If you do not wish for your child to participate in the QEW Survey, please contact your child's school.
Can I access my child's data?
To protect students’ confidentiality, we are unable to provide you with a copy of your child’s responses.
How will the data be used?
The department is interested in analysing the trends that appear in the results of the survey. This will give us a better understanding of the relationship between engagement, wellbeing and what schools are currently doing to support students.
Schools will be able to reflect on the engagement and wellbeing curriculum and programs being run at the school and identify where additional programs or resources may be required.
Data is:
- reported at a group level (not individual student level)
- reported at a topic level (e.g. resilience, motivation and perseverance)
- reported where there are 5 or more responses for each group (confidentialised so that no individual student can be identified in any reports).
Schools are given an inquiry tool to help them reflect and take action from the data, as well as support from wellbeing staff across the department so that wellbeing responses are included in school planning.
Access a QEW school report example which illustrates format and layout. Note: The example report does not contain real data.
Will the school be able to identify my child from their responses?
All survey responses are treated confidentially. Data is stored securely by the department in line with the
Information Privacy Act (2009).
School reports include data at a school level as well as aggregated (group) levels (e.g. student year level). Individual student answers are never reported. No one at your child’s school will be able to see their individual responses.
If there are less than 5 students in your child's year level and/or school, reports will be joined with another year level or another school. This ensures students' responses cannot be identified.
For more information, refer to the
how will the data be used? FAQ.
Why is the data captured at an individual student level?
The purpose of the collecting the data at an individual student level is about creating flexibility to be able to analyse the data in a range of different ways to be able to determine if additional support is needed for different groups of students:
- Do Year 7 students need additional support with creating a sense of belonging?
- Do students with disability experience the same level of engagement and wellbeing as students that do not have a disability?
It also allows the examination of changes in wellbeing and engagement over time as well as consideration of how these measures interact with future academic outcomes and other metrics such as attendance or behaviour. This will give the department a better understanding of the relationship between engagement, wellbeing and what schools are currently doing to support students.
Where is the data stored?
The survey is conducted using the department’s online data collection and survey system.
All data is stored in Australia, securely, on departmental servers in a restricted database for analytic purposes only. The only people who have access to the individual student level responses are the Performance Monitoring and Reporting team within the department. This information is categorized as sensitive. Data will only be reported at aggregated (group) levels unless prescribed by law.
Can all students participate in the survey?
The QEW Survey is open to all students in Year 2 to Year 12.
When will the Queensland Engagement and Wellbeing Survey happen?
The QEW Survey takes place between weeks 1 and 4 of Term 2 each year. Your child’s school will choose a date within this period that suits them best.
Who can I contact if I have further questions?
If you have further questions about the QEW Survey, please contact your child's teacher or school.
You can contact the QEW Survey team by email
QEWSurvey@qed.qld.gov.au.