We know not all students experience school in the same way. The reality is that many students are prevented from achieving their full potential as a result of societal, economic, or cultural conditions that limit their opportunities, freedoms, and dignity.
Every day, leaders like you strive to close gaps, eliminate barriers, and create an equitable school environment. The question is, how do we establish consistent and effective practices for making evidence-based decisions around equity and equality?
TTFM Demographics
Out of the box, the TTFM student survey reveals insights into the climate of inclusivity, diversity, and equity within your context. Students’ differing experiences of engagement, sense of belonging, bullying, safety, and well-being tell a rich and compelling story.
You can dig below the surface to examine disparities between students of diverse gender and sexual orientation; or by newcomer, Indigenous, English-language learner, or socioeconomic status. You can easily add your own custom demographics to measure the experiences of other populations as well.
DEMOGRAPHIC DRILLDOWNS: These categories can be used to drill-down other measures within the Interactive Reports. New items are in bold.
Year Level
Sex, Sex Inclusive, or Gender Identity
Language Spoken at Home
Year Level Repetition (Secondary only)
Immigrant Status
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Status
Age
Disability (Secondary only)
Change School (Secondary only)
Instruction Environment
Young Carer Status
Year Level
This is a mandatory item. Students are asked to indicate what year level they are in. The data are used as a drill-down variable for One-Click Reports and Interactive Charts.
Sex, Sex Inclusive and Gender Identity
We offer the increased flexibility of choosing from among three sex and gender identity items, which are available at both the primary and secondary levels. Students continue to have the option to skip each version of this demographic question if they choose to do so.
Sex
Sex Inclusive
Gender Identity
Primary
Are you:
a) A boy b) A girl
When you were born, were you:
a) A boy b) A girl c) I prefer not to respond
Do you think of yourself as:
a) A boy b) A girl c) In another way d)I prefer not to respond
Secondary
Are you:
a) Male b) Female
When you were born, were you:
a) Male b) Female c) I prefer not to respond
Do you think of yourself as:
a) Male b) Female c) In another way d) I prefer not to respond
Language Spoken at Home
Students are asked to indicate the language they speak most often at home. The data are reported in simple table format, and can be used as a drill-down variable for Interactive Charts.
Year Level Repetition (Secondary only)
Students are asked whether they have ever repeated a year level. The data are reported in simple table format, and can be used as a drill-down variable for Interactive Charts.
Immigrant Status
Students are asked whether they were born in Australia, and if not, how long they have lived in Australia. The data are reported in simple table format, and can be used as a drill-down variable for Interactive Charts.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Status
Students are asked whether they are Aboriginal or a Torres Strait Islander. The data are reported in simple table format, and can be used as a drill-down variable for Interactive Charts.
Age
Students are asked to indicate their age. Age is a required variable as a filter when choosing the sexual health questions in our Healthy Schools survey.
Disability (Secondary only)
Students are asked: 'Do you have a disability that limits your participation in school activities and learning?' If they answer 'Yes', then they are asked to specify from a list.
Change School (Secondary only)
Students are asked whether they have ever changed schools for any of the following reasons: they moved, they wanted to attend a different school because of its program, they were expelled or they moved from a school that did not offer higher year levels. The results are reported as the 'percentage of students who have changed schools'.
Instructional Environment
Students are asked whether they are receiving instruction at home, at school, or a combination of both. The results are reported as the percentage of students in each category. These Instructional Environment categories can be used to drill-down other measures within the Interactive Charts.
Young Carer Status
TLB was asked to include this demographic item by the NSW Carers Advisory Council to help schools identify students with caring responsibilities, understand their educational experiences, and inform targeted support. Current data on young carers is limited, and existing school data collection methods often fail to identify them.
Students are asked: Is there anyone in your family who is seriously affected by:
(1) disability (such as blindness or autism)
(2) long-term illness (such as diabetes or cancer)
(3) depression or mental illness
If they answer 'Yes', then they are asked: 'Do you do extra work at home because someone has a disability or illness and needs more help with things?'
