Helping keep CREDS in Cambridgeshire schools

CREDS is a service in Cambridgeshire that provides support for schools and settings with children from minority ethnic backgrounds, including Gypsy, Roma & Travellers and children with English as an additional language. Many schools across the region see CREDS support as invaluable. However, with the sector facing budget cuts, CREDS is faced with the possibility of becoming a traded service or closing.

The service decided to commission some research with their users/potential users before making any vital decisions about their future. We were delighted to be recommended to them by the Cambridgeshire Council from previous work we completed in the Early Years sector. Our work with them began at the end of the 2016 academic year.

Essentially our task was to gather information about what schools in Cambridgeshire could afford to pay for CREDS and how best these services could be offered so that CREDS was still accessible for those who needed it most. Given the variety of schools and their ever-changing requirements we felt both a qualitative and quantitative approach appropriate. It was a 3-stage process beginning with depth interviews, followed by focus groups and quantified with a telephone survey. We spoke with around 130 schools across the county.

As expected, results were complex and dependent on certain situations, i.e. the numbers of minority pupils attending the school at any one time. The most definite conclusion was that schools’ needs and their affordability varied greatly from school to school and term to term so any offer produced by CREDS would have to be flexible. Our conclusions and suggestions were presented to CREDS who will use them to try and form a financially viable and flexible programme that will allow them to continue reaching the needs of pupils who need it most in Cambridgeshire.

“The project was a real pleasure to work on. It really gave us an insight into the struggles that the education sector are facing from both the schools’ perspective and the council’s” said Rachel Clark, project manager of the survey. “I hope that our research enables CREDS to produce a sustainable traded service that ensures the continuation of the services they provide”.

More information about CREDS and the work they do can be viewed here.

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Opening up about double glazing

Over the last 12 months we have run a huge project with double glazing giants Safestyle. Safestyle have been manufacturing and installing windows and doors for homeowners across England and Wales for over 20 years. In 2016, we were commissioned to advise on how the Safestyle brand and its advertising could be developed.

We enjoyed carrying out extensive qualitative and quantitative research for this long-running project. Numerous focus groups around the country, depth interviews and an online survey helped us to provide detailed reports to Safestyle about how they can continue to progress. Safestyle have devised advertising campaigns aided by our findings.

Therefore, we were delighted to have the company approach us in May to carry out some follow-up research for their new campaigns.

We can’t wait to see what the future holds with Safestyle and look forward to working with them again in the future.

“Safestyle UK commissioned PCP Market Research to undertake a major review of the company’s branding and advertising. Peter and his team worked tirelessly to meet tight deadlines and were dedicated to getting the clearest possible insights for the company. We were delighted with the research they conducted and a new advertising campaign has been developed which incorporates many of the findings. Overall, I feel that PCP really care about the quality of their work and how it can help their clients – something which is quite rare in the agencies I have worked with over the years. Well done to the team. They are very highly recommended” – Phil Berry (Head of Marketing at Safestyle UK).

For more information about the work we have run with Safestyle read our case study.

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Our favourite four-legged clients

Last year we had the privilege of conducting several projects for The Kennel Club. Not only did we run the Crufts visitor survey in April 2016, we were commissioned to run a series of adhoc qualitative research projects on various topics. We can safely say it was certainly a perk of the job being able to sit in one of the Kennel Club’s very attractive meeting rooms talking to interesting people about their furry friends. The results from all of these projects were fascinating. It makes the job even more satisfying to know that findings are going to be used to try and improve welfare for dogs nationwide.

It was the icing on top of the cake to be recommissioned to carry out the Crufts Visitor Survey again this year, the third successive year for which we had carried out this work. We received a huge 6000 responses from the online survey. We were delighted with the results and hope to be working with the Kennel Club again in the future.

“The Kennel Club has worked with PCP for approximately 5 years. PCP has supplied customer insight through online surveys for Crufts visitors and also facilitated a number of focus groups and delivered the output.  Each time PCP has provided insightful, comprehensive reporting which has helped guide our services and products accordingly.  They are highly professional and a great team to work with” – Helen Fox (Marketing & Business Development Executive at the Kennel Club).

For more information about the Kennel Club and the work they do, visit their website http://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/

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Visit York

Make it York, the city’s Destination Management Organisation, commission a visitor survey on an annual basis. We have had the privilege of running the survey for a full 11-year period between 1997 and 2008, then again from 2013 to 2016. We are delighted to announce that we have now been commissioned to run this year’s survey.

The survey’s primary role is to evaluate visitors’ experiences and satisfaction levels of York. The results are used to provide tourism intelligence to support economic, product and marketing decision-making. We conduct face-to-face interviews with visitors at various locations in York, including the Minster and the National Railway Museum. This year we will conduct at least 1000 interviews using the latest interviewer technology.

What we love most about this project is knowing that the results are used towards making our great city even greater. Being a York local our project manager, Tom Hollingsworth, was thrilled to be running the survey once again as he explains, “being able to run the annual visitor survey for my home city is a proud moment for me. I’ve always loved this project, not least because the logistics of all the face-to-face interviews is a great challenge”.

For more information about the Visit York survey visit their website http://www.visityork.org/members/about/statistics.aspx

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Drink as I do

We have worked on many projects with Claremont communications. They are an agency specialising in social issues and we were delighted when they approached us to undertake some important work on behalf of their client, The National Hydration Council. The NHC is a not for profit organisation dedicated to researching the science and communicating the facts about health hydration. We have been lucky enough to work with the organisation on several projects now and were delighted to be approached to investigate how parents’ drinking habits can influence their children.

In June 2016, we interviewed 1000 parents and one of their children across the UK via an online survey. The children were aged between 4 and 8 years old. The survey revealed the significant influence that parents have on what their children drink. For example, children living with parents who often drink fizzy drinks were almost 3 times more likely to drink fizzy drinks than other children. However, as well as influencing unhealthy drinking habits, the survey also identified how parents could positively influence healthy hydration habits. 63% of the children interviewed drank plain water on any given day which rose to 87% in households where parents drink plain water often.

As Kinvara Carey, General Manager of the Natural Hydration Council, explains “children ‘parrot’ our behaviours from an early age. So, to encourage healthy eating habits, we need to express pleasure in what we eat and drink, placing particular emphasis on doing this for healthier foods and drinks, while toning this down for less healthy products.”

“Working with PCP is a pleasure – they are my ‘go to’ research company. I have worked with them for two years and nothing has ever been too much to ask. Peter in particular is always very helpful and happy to answer numerous questions. He always offers his expertise too so that you feel in safe hands throughout working with them. The whole team are polite, flexible and always happy to help. On many occasions I have given very tight deadlines and PCP has never let me down. I would definitely recommend working with them” Emma Prince (Consultant at Claremont Communications).

For more information on this project and the work that the National Hydration Council does, visit their website http://www.naturalhydrationcouncil.org.uk/press/drink-as-i-do/

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Do you know how to buckle your child up safely?

We have worked on numerous projects with the communications agency Third City and were thrilled when they approached us to undertake some important work on behalf of their client, Sheilas’ Wheels, in the summer last year. In light of a Department of Transport report issued in 2015 which reported that child road deaths had risen by 3% to 53 deaths from September 2013 to 2014, Sheilas’ Wheels commissioned work to investigate the usage of child seats.

We primarily wanted to find out whether child car seats were being used correctly and attitudes of adults towards them. We conducted face-to-face interviews with 100 randomly selected drivers whose cars were equipped with child seats. In order to check whether or not they were fitted correctly we worked alongside certified car safety technicians. Each car was checked to see whether each child seat was installed correctly, incorrectly but safe or incorrectly and dangerous.

Alongside the practical check of the seats installed we also asked several survey questions to the respondents. We wanted to know how confident they felt in the fitting of the seat. What issues, if any they have experienced. What their attitudes to the seats were, for example, when did they feel their child would no longer require a seat? Or, would they risk a short journey without the seat?

The results confirmed Sheilas’ Wheels’ concerns that many parents were unknowingly risking their children’s lives as they failed to install their seats correctly. 1 in 3 (32%) seats were fitted incorrectly and 1 in 10 (10%) of those were dangerously wrong – putting children at high risk of injury should an accident have occurred. Over a third of parents admitted that they struggled with the installation of the seats with half of parents not switching off the air bags when the child seat was in the front passenger seat.

As Elspeth Hackett, Sheilas’ Wheels spokesperson said “it is extremely important to be aware of what type of car seat your child should be in, so they are secure if something happens while you’re driving… many parents make simple mistakes by using the wrong seat or installing it incorrectly, putting their child’s life in danger. Every child seat is different, so installation and use recommendations will differ.”

It was a pleasure to be part of such an important project and we hope that the research will educate more adults in the importance of correct installation of child car seats.

“We have worked with Peter and the team for more than a decade. They are knowledgeable, dedicated and provide a great service. We find them particularly good at raising bespoke samples at a very reasonable cost” – Mark Lowe (Co-Founder at Third City Communications Agency, London).

To check the current regulations on child car seats, visit the government website https://www.gov.uk/child-car-seats-the-rules/using-a-child-car-seat-or-booster-seat.

For further details on this project visit Sheilas’ Wheels website http://www.sheilaswheels.com/parents-risk-childrens-safety-due-to-fitting-child-seats-incorrectly

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What would you like to learn? York learning for all ages.

It is always special when we get commissioned for research in our beautiful home-city of York. York college essentially wanted to assess the level of demand for different types of adult training course. We were delighted to be approached by them with this exciting project. Plus, being right around the corner from us made for extremely handy meetings!

We wanted to speak with 200 local residents of York and thought the best way to do this was through a telephone survey. We wanted to find out what their awareness was of York College as a source of adult training. How York College compared with other sources of adult training in the area. What type of course adults might be interested in. What barriers someone might have to overcome to allow them to study their preferred course. How much they would be willing to travel to attend a course or how much they would be willing to pay. How they might think to source information about available adult courses.

Findings were very interesting and revealed, amongst a number of things, that a majority would be interested in furthering their education. Results allowed us to advise the college on what types of courses were seemingly preferable, what timings and locations would be most convenient and what barriers potential learners might face. It was a privilege to work with the college and we were glad to be able to offer guidance on how best to advance adult education.

Details about adult education offered by York College can be found at their website here.

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Working together for Cambridgeshire Early Years

We have just completed the latest stage of a project that has been running intermittently with Cambridgeshire County Council since February 2016. Faced with budget cuts to the Early Years sector the council approached us to help them explore different ways of being able to support the affected settings. We were delighted to have the opportunity to work alongside the authority and support them through this challenging task.

The project began with an online survey and 4 focus groups to determine what services were most valued by the settings, how receptive they might be to the idea of a membership scheme and how they might envisage such a scheme. Aided by our findings, the council developed a membership scheme. We then held a further 3 focus groups to present the proposed scheme and receive feedback. Adjustments were made to the scheme based on the feedback received from these groups and the membership was implemented in Summer 2016.

A few months after the scheme had been introduced the council asked us to conduct further research to establish whether the membership scheme had been well received. To achieve this, we conducted another online survey alongside 10 depth interviews and a further 2 focus groups. The scheme had generally been well received but some valuable suggestions were made as to how it could be improved.

We thoroughly enjoyed this project. Been able to see and understand the situation from both perspectives (in this case the authority’s and the settings’) is one of the great perks of being a researcher.

More information on the Cambridgeshire County Council Early Years department can be viewed here.

More information on the Cambridgeshire County Council Early Years Membership Scheme can be viewed here.

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Making a splash at the Spa

Being a proud Yorkshire company we were honoured to be part of the research conducted for the wonderful Bridlington ArtWaves Festival. The visual art-festival took place at the iconic Bridlington Spa on the 13th and 14th May 2017. Through a vibrant programme including workshops, demonstrations, exhibitions and have-a-go activities it showcased traditional, digital, contemporary and urban art.

The festival approached one of our long-standing partners, Make It York, to carry out a visitor evaluation of the event. Given our history of working well together on several, successful, similar projects Make It York pulled us on board.

The main objective of the research was to assess the festival in various ways, highlighting where improvements could be made for future festivals and if improvements had been made from last year. We focused on several points including, but not limited to:

• Did the festival make a positive contribution to the local economy?
• Did the festival encourage audiences try something new and to enthuse in, engage with and absorb visual art?
• Did the festival create a sense of enjoyment for participants and audience?
• Did the festival have and communicate strong links with The East Riding?
• Did the programme offer choice and high-quality activities that appeal to audiences?
• Did the festival offer good value for money?
• Was the festival well promoted – did it make best use of marketing budget and opportunities?
• What were the key opportunities for development (particularly commercially and audience development in future)?

We carried out 200 face-to-face interviews with visitors of the festival, followed by depth interviews with members of the organising committee to gauge any challenges they faced or are likely to face for next year’s festival.

Results suggest that the festival continues to be a success and a valued part of Bridlington’s cultural offerings.

For more information about Bridlington ArtWaves Festival visit the Bridlington Spa website https://www.bridspa.com/artwaves/.

For further information about the tourism research offered by Make It York visit http://www.visityork.org/members/about/statistics.aspx.

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Normative Islam

We were approached by 5Pillars in July 2015 with an exciting proposition to help provide an empirical reference point that could be used when determining what qualifies as mainstream Islam. Its primary objective was to increase the British public’s understanding of Islam. 5Pillars is an independent British news website which reports on Muslim affairs both in Britain and in the wider Islamic world.

“We felt that there has been an ongoing debate amongst British politicians, academics and journalists with regards to what constitutes as ‘mainstream Islam’” explains 5Pillars. “We wanted to respond to division within the Muslim community, as well as misunderstandings amongst Britain’s non-Muslim public. So, we commissioned a survey with PCP in an attempt to establish what qualifies as the basic tenets of the Islamic faith”.

Delighted to take on this project, we approached 150 influential British Muslims, including Muslim scholars, academics and professionals belonging to a variety of theological, political and sectarian backgrounds. We invited them to take part in a survey either via the telephone or online. The survey comprised 95 statements pertaining to Islamic beliefs and practices categorised under 12 topic headings.

The average level of agreement with the great majority of the 95 statements about mainstream Islamic beliefs was extremely high. Statements under the heading “Belief in God”, “Revelation”, “Global Humanity” and “Prophethood” attracted the highest level of agreement. Lowest (though still extremely high) levels of agreement were recorded for the statements under the heading “Citizenship”, “Islamic Law and Consensus” and “Jihad, Extremism and Terrorism”.

We must stress that the Normative Islam Report should not be considered as an absolute representation of the beliefs of mainstream Muslims. It should be used to provide understanding as to what influential British Muslims consider to be the basic tenets of Islam.

“Commissioning PCP for this unique first-of-its kind research was both an honour and an exciting time. Working to very tight deadlines, both PCP and 5Pillars maintained a professional and respectful relationship. Indeed, it was a new endeavour for both parties, which made the research on ‘normative Islam’ that extra bit special. I would strongly recommend others to use the market research services of PCP. I have no doubt British Muslims in their tens of thousands were impressed by the work carried out by Peter Pickersgill and his company” – Muhammad “Dilly” Hussain (Deputy Editor at 5Pillars).

Read the executive summary of the published report here http://5pillarsuk.com/2016/02/16/normative-islam-report-executive-summary/

For more information about 5Pillars visit their website http://5pillarsuk.com/

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