Participant Consultation

The National Centre for Social Research is inviting some study participants to share their views with us.

Participant consultation

As part of our ongoing work on the Five to Twelve study, the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) is inviting some study participants to share their views with us. This will help us make sure future phases of the study are better for everyone involved.

The online interviews will take place in November.

This information explains what the interviews are for and how they will work. Please take your time to read it carefully. If anything is unclear, don't hesitate to ask us. You’ll find our contact details at the bottom of this page.

What are the interviews about?  

These interviews are part of the broader Five to Twelve study. We want to talk to some of the mothers, fathers and carers who take part in the study, to hear your views about some of the letters and other communications we would like to use on the study. We also want to speak to study children aged 7/8 during these interviews.

A key aim of these interviews is to collect feedback on example documents and other communications we would like to send to study families. We would also like to understand the different ways parents might go about accessing a survey for their child to complete. From study children, we would like to get feedback on a guidance video we have made just for them. We would also like to understand how easy or difficult they find some example survey questions to answer.

Why have I been invited to take part?

We are inviting a small group of study fathers, mothers and carers as well as their children aged 7-9 to take part in this study. We want to hear from people with different backgrounds and experiences. This will help us plan future developments on the study and ensure these work well for everyone.

We are carrying out online one-to-one interviews.

Taking part in an online one-to-one interview – what’s involved?

  • It will be with a NatCen researcher lasting up to 90 minutes, at a time convenient for you and your child. The interviews will take place on Zoom.
  • The researcher will ask questions about your views on some example letters and leaflets. They will also ask your child to watch a short video and complete some questions independently. You can stay with your child while they do this.
  • Your child will only be expected to take part directly for about 20-30 minutes.
  • You and your child don’t need to prepare anything in advance. We are interested in your experiences and opinions. There are no right or wrong answers. You can share as much or as little as you’d like.
  • Taking part is voluntary. You and your child don’t have to take part if you don’t want to. If you do take part, you can skip any questions you don’t want to answer and stop at any point.
  • Your and your child’s participation will be kept confidential, and your data will be stored securely. Everything you or your child tell us will only be used in an anonymised form.
  • With your and your child’s permission, we would like to video-record the session, as this helps us ensure we capture the details of the discussion. The recording will only be accessible to the Five to Twelve research team. Videos will be deleted at the end of the consultation, by the end of 2026.
  • As a thank you for taking part, you will receive a £60 Love 2 Shop shopping voucher which can be used in a wide range of high street shops and online retailers.
  • Furthermore, your child will receive a certificate and some stickers for their participation.

Why take part?

Your and your child’s feedback, and views on the communications we send to study families and questions, will help us make taking part a positive experience for everyone. By taking part you are helping ensure that the study findings represent the diversity of all the families in the Five to Twelve study.  

Do I have to take part?

No. It is entirely up to you to decide if you would like to participate. You are free to tell us that you do not want to take part at any time without giving a reason. Your decision about whether or not to take part in the interview will not affect your participation in the main Five to Twelve study, or any rights or benefits to which you are entitled.

Can someone else take part instead of me?

Unfortunately, we cannot invite someone else to take part instead of you, even if they are your child’s other parent. This is due to the way that our study communications and web surveys are set up.

Will taking part in the interview be confidential?

Yes, your participation in the interview will be kept strictly confidential. Your information will be stored securely. The recording of the discussion will be used by the Five to Twelve research team only, to help make sure we have an accurate account of what was said and to help with note-taking. Only members of the Five to Twelve research team will have access to the recording.

Any information you share with us will only be used in anonymised form. You will not be named in any reports from the interview, and no-one will be able to recognise you.  

Who is carrying out the research?

The National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) carry out the Five to Twelve study, alongside our collaborators from the National Children’s Bureau (NCB), the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) as well as an advisory group of academics. NatCen are carrying out these interviews. NatCen is the largest independent and not-for-profit social research organisation in the UK. You can find more information about us on our website.  

Who is funding the research?

The study has been commissioned and funded by the  Department for Education (DfE).  

Who has reviewed this study?

NatCen’s Research Ethics Committee has reviewed this study to protect your safety, rights, wellbeing and dignity.

What will happen to the information I give?

Your feedback will be used to shape future plans for the Five to Twelve study. Interview findings will be written up and feed into a report for DfE, but no personal details will be included. Your answers will be anonymous and will not identify you. We will keep recordings and notes from the discussion securely.

The report will be shared with DfE. We may also share findings with researchers from other organisations involved in running the Five to Twelve study and researchers working on other research projects, but never in a form that would identify you.

We will record the interview to help with note-taking and to ensure that we accurately capture what you tell us. Recordings will be deleted once the consultation report has been finalised, by the end of 2026. Written notes will be kept securely to help inform future phases of the study. We will also keep a note of who took part to help us ensure we’re not asking too much of study families. This information will not be shared outside the Five to Twelve research team.

Just like on the main Five to Twelve study, we will treat all information that you share with us in strict confidence, in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation 2018 (GDPR). Your personal details will be held securely by NatCen and will not be shared with anyone outside of the Five to Twelve research team. The information you provide will only be used for research and not any other purposes. NatCen is the data processor and the Department of Education is the data controller for this research.

If you believe we have not complied with your data protection rights, you can contact us at dpo@natcen.ac.uk.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office: Information Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF; telephone: 0303 123 1113; website: ico.org.uk/concerns

You can view the study privacy notice here.

What if I need support?

Please let us know if there is anything we can do to support your participation.  

Contact for further information

If you would like more details or have any questions, please contact the Five to Twelve research team:

Our Freephone service is available Monday to Thursday, 9:00 AM to 8:00 PM, Friday 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, and Saturday 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM.  

If you leave a message, please include your name and contact details, mention the ‘Five to Twelve participant consultation’, and we will get back to you as soon as possible. Please also provide your Five to Twelve study reference number if you have it (this will be at the top of emails from us).