Great positivity towards the nursery school work in Hafnarfjörður

Parents are very positive about the nursery school in Hafnarfjörður.
Evaluation of the school's work is an active part of the nursery schools' operations and is highly valued. 

A report from Skólavogur is now available, based on the results of a survey of parents of children in Hafnarfjörður's nurseries, conducted in March 2020. The results provide both clear indications of what is being done well and of the challenges and tasks that need to be addressed to strengthen the school's work and to pursue further school development. The survey addresses aspects of nursery school operations relating to daily practice, the learning environment, communication with parents, the start and end of a child's attendance, and special support and specialist services. There are 18 nurseries in Hafnarfjörður, and the report presents the results from 16 of them (Hamravellir and Hjalli are excluded). The number of children of nursery age with their legal residence in the town was 1,833 in the 2019 to 2020 school year. Around 1,780 of them are in the town's nurseries, or approximately 97.1%. The response rate to the survey was 83.3%.

The Skólavogur report was presented at Meeting of the Hafnarfjörður Education Committee Yesterday. See the results for Hafnarfjörður's nurseries for the 2019-2020 school year.. A summary of the parents' survey can be found on pages 46 and 47. 

The proportion of satisfied parents has been increasing since the first measurement.

The main findings show that parents of preschool children in Hafnarfjörður are generally positive towards the local preschool service. The proportion of parents who are satisfied with the nursery has been increasing since the first measurement was taken in the 2017-2018 school year, when the proportion of satisfied parents was 84.51%. The percentage is now 91.71% and well above the survey average of 86.41%. Fifteen survey items are considered to be at the average level, and three are well above. However, there is a significant difference in the results between schools on individual items, and this needs to be examined in more detail. The three factors that are well above the School Voucher average are: 1) satisfaction with the nursery school, 2) the management's visibility in the school's daily work, and 3) the transition between school stages. According to the results, the main challenges relate to encouraging participation in school activities, the schools' websites, and in some schools, the visibility of the management in the day-to-day work.

There are 21 assessment items in total, which are categorised into 5 superordinate categories.

• Daily nursery activities – the proportion of parents who are satisfied with the nursery and believe that the management is visible in day-to-day operations is well above the Skólavogar average. Other factors are considered to be at the average level, with none below. These other factors relate to a child's happiness, an appropriate number of children per group, and a healthy diet.
• Learning environmentParents express a positive view of the aspects concerning the learning environment; all aspects are considered for the average, with none below average. There is some variation in the proportion of satisfied parents between schools with regard to working practices and facilities. Other factors include social interaction and participation without segregation.
• Communication with parents: All factors are averaged and no single one stands out. There is some variation between schools in the proportion of parents satisfied with information provision, knowledge of the school's policies and curriculum, and the school's website. Other factors include relationships with school staff, encouragement to participate in school activities, and the timing of events.
• Start and end of nursery school attendance: The town is well above average in the area of transferring children between school stages. Other areas are at the average level. There is a considerable difference in the proportion of satisfied parents between schools with regard to starting nursery school and moving between classes.
• Special support and specialist services: There is a considerable difference between schools in the proportion of children who receive special tuition and support – ranging from 2.91% to 35.31%.

Situation overview and assistance with the scoping of improvement projects

This report is primarily intended to inform the management and staff of nurseries, and also to provide the education authorities with necessary information about certain aspects of nursery provision in the town. The School Pulse, as part of the nursery's internal evaluation, is well-suited to gathering feedback from those involved in the nursery's work, and it is important to consider the views and attitudes expressed. The purpose is for the schools to be able to use the results and comparisons to see what is working well and to identify opportunities for improvement. Furthermore, other stakeholders in the school's operations, such as parents and education authorities, gain an overview of the situation and can make their legally mandated contributions to assist the schools based on the data.

See the results for Hafnarfjörður's nurseries for the 2019-2020 school year.