New student questions that show how a child is settling in
Ask parents and guardians how their child's start at a new school went, from the first day to making a friend. Each question below comes with when to ask it and what the answer tells you.
What new student survey questions tell you
New student survey questions ask parents how their child is settling into a new school: how the first week went, whether they have made a friend, what helped and what worried them before the first day. The answers show the school which parts of the welcome work and which new families need a call.
Ask two or three weeks after the child starts, and again after the first two months, and keep it to five to seven questions. Send the link by email to new families, and end with the call to action that opens the guide for the first term.
Each written answer is read as it arrives and given a theme, a sentiment and an urgency, so a child who is struggling to settle comes to the class teacher's attention quickly. Give each response an owner in the inbox, and check in with every family whose child hasn't made a friend yet.
- Questions
- 14
- Best asked
- Two or three weeks after the first day
- Industry
- Education
- Where to find them
- From library in the Usertick survey editor, on every plan
The 14 starting a new school questions, with when to ask each
Grouped by what they tell you. Use them as they are or change the wording.
How the child is settling
How the first week went, how settled the child feels now and what helped, the core of the survey.
- 01Emoji
How was your child's first week?
How the child's first week went, as the parent sees it, on a row of faces. Results shows each face with its share; select the low faces to read those families' other answers.
- 05Big scale
How settled does your child feel now?
How settled the child feels now, from 1 to 10. Results shows the average and a column per step; ask it again later in the term to see the change.
- 03Yes / No
Has your child made a friend yet?
Whether the child has made a friend yet. Results shows the share that said yes; each No is a family for the class teacher to check in with.
- 11Ruler
How many days did it take your child to settle?
Days until the child settled, as the parent judges it, on a ruler. Results shows the median and the middle half, a fair picture of how long settling takes.
- 04Multiple choice
What helped your child settle in?
Picks everything that helped the child settle, from a buddy to clubs, with Nothing yet as an option. Results shows bars with each share, which tells you which parts of the welcome to keep.
Getting ready for day one
Preparation and information before the first day, with what worried the child, for next year's welcome.
- 02Customer effort
How easy was it to get everything ready for the first day?
How easy it was to get ready for the first day, from uniform to forms, on a 7-point scale. Results shows the average and the share who found it easy.
- 07Multiple choice
How much information did you get before the first day?
Three options on how much information the family got before the first day. Answers of Too little or Too much tell you how to change the welcome pack.
- 08Matrix
Rate the start of the year on each
Rates the welcome, information for parents, class placement and uniform and supplies. The heat map shows which part of the start to fix for next year's families.
- 06Text
What worried your child most before starting?
Asks what worried the child most before starting. The themes, such as friends, getting lost or the work, are the topics to cover at next year's welcome day.
The family and the school
Why the family moved, when the child started and what new families need, ending with the guide for the first term.
- 10Yes / No
Do you know your child's teacher by name?
Whether the parent knows the child's teacher by name. Results shows the share that said yes; a No here is a quick fix with an introduction email.
- 12Text
What should the school do for new families?
Asks what the school should do for new families. Each answer gets a type such as idea, so suggestions for the welcome stand out.
- 09Dropdown
Why did you move schools?
Why the family moved schools. Results shows each share and count; select the answer about a problem at the old school and read those responses with extra care.
- 13Date
When did your child start?
The date the child started. Results shows a calendar of picked dates, which separates children who joined at the start of the year from those who joined midyear.
- 14Call to action
A guide with everything for the first term
A button that opens a guide to the first term, with no answer to give. Place it last, so every family leaves the survey with the guide in hand.
Tips for asking about starting a new school
Small choices that get honest, useful answers.
- 01
Ask after two or three weeks
Give the child time to settle past the first days, and ask while the start is still fresh for the parent.
- 02
Call families who are struggling
Give each low face, low settling score or No on friends an owner in the inbox, and have the class teacher call that week.
- 03
Include children who join midyear
Children who join during the year miss the welcome day. Send them the same survey, and use the start date to compare their answers.
- 04
Use the worries for next year
Turn the worries parents describe into the agenda for next year's welcome day and welcome pack.
Add these questions to a survey
From the library to the first answers.
- 1
Open the library
In the Usertick survey editor, choose From library, filter by industry and topic, and add several questions at once.
- 2
Or paste your own list
Paste questions reads up to 10 questions from any text on Free, 100 on Starter and 200 on Pro and above, keeps your wording and picks an answer type for each.
- 3
Choose where it runs
Show the survey on your website, send it by email, share its link and QR code, or switch it to a conversation.
- 4
Read the answers
Results counts every score and choice, and Usertick reads each written answer and files it by topic, on every plan.
Templates and more questions about starting a new school
Full surveys that ask about the same things, and neighboring topics in the library.
Templates
Browse all templatesFrequently asked questions
Two or three weeks after the child starts, and again after the first two months. Schedule the email up to 30 days ahead once the child's start date is set.
Five to seven. Start with the first week and how settled the child feels, add what helped, and end with what new families need.
Yes. Add the call to action question last, with the guide's address, so families can open it before they leave the survey.
Parents and guardians, who hear at home how their child talks about school. Send the link by email to the families of new students.
Yes. The question library comes with every plan, the free plan included, and the free plan covers 150 responses a month across your surveys.
Yes. Once a question is in your survey, reword it, change its options or its answer type, and add logic to skip it for some answers.
Yes. The library is translated into Usertick's built-in languages, and in any other language it shows in English for you to translate.
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