There is a moment in school-based focus groups when something shifts. The pupils realise this is not a lesson. There is no right or wrong answer. No one is trying to catch them out.

At first, answers are careful – sometimes polite, sometimes reluctant, sometimes rehearsed. Then someone says something slightly unexpected, and the dynamic changes. Pupils stop addressing the facilitator and start responding to each other. They disagree, they qualify, they think out loud. That is where the insight is.

 

At Public First, we design our school-based focus groups around creating exactly that moment – because when young people are given the right balance of structure and space, they do not just respond to questions put to them. They offer opinions, and they explain how they understand the world around them.

Our focus groups are small, facilitated discussions with pupils, usually grouped by age or year. They take place during the school day, in familiar school settings – classrooms, libraries, canteens – and are designed to feel conversational rather than interrogative. Sessions are normally conducted without teachers present, which immediately changes the dynamic, creating a more open and honest dialogue than would be possible with authority figures in the room.

Over the past few years, we have spent hours and hours in schools across the country, running these discussions with pupils of different ages, backgrounds and experiences.

The work begins well before we enter a school. Each project starts with a carefully structured discussion guide, designed to move from the concrete to the abstract. We begin with what pupils already recognise or experience directly, before opening out into more complex questions about systems, choices and trade-offs. We adapt both the questions and the format for different ages – from highly scaffolded, concrete prompts for younger pupils to more open, abstract discussion with older cohorts.

Just as importantly, we are deliberate about who we speak to, and where. For each project, we work to identify schools and pupils most relevant to the question at hand – whether that means variation by geography, deprivation, school type, attainment profile, or wider lifestyle and attitudinal factors. We recruit across different school contexts so we can understand not just what young people think, but how experience and place shape those views. Within schools, we work with staff to ensure pupils are selected thoughtfully – deliberately avoiding ‘the usual voices’ – so that discussions reflect a range of perspectives and confidence levels.

We work closely with schools on logistics, safeguarding and informed consent. Ahead of each session, we share clear information with schools, parents and pupils about what the discussion will involve and how it will be used. Parent and pupil consent are sought in advance, and pupils are reminded at the start of the session that their participation is voluntary and that they can withdraw at any point. We are explicit about confidentiality, within safeguarding limits, and clear that individual schools will not be named, unless explicitly agreed. There are no right answers. Pupils do not have to put their hands up to speak. Disagreement is welcome. Nothing they say will affect them in school. This clarity matters, because it is what allows pupils to relax and to speak honestly.

All sessions are facilitated by trained researchers with enhanced DBS certification, who have experience working with young people and have received training on safeguarding, group dynamics, and how to create inclusive discussion spaces where quieter voices are heard.

Across very different pieces of work – on democracy, school attendance, online life, trust, wellbeing and beyond – we have seen the same pattern repeat: young people are rarely disengaged; they are often simply not given the opportunity and mechanism to voice their views.

Let’s take an example. When we spoke to Year 8 pupils about voting, most had no idea the voting age was being lowered. But once the change was explained, they engaged immediately – weighing fairness, responsibility and precedent in real time. One pupil reflected: “I am pretty shocked…I remember before it was only men, then it changed to men and women, and then it changed from 21 to 18, and now it’s 16. So it’s changing a lot.” Another grappled with how adulthood is defined: “I think it’s a bit weird because you’re classed as an adult when it’s voting, but then for other things, like drinking alcohol, you can’t do that.” These were not rehearsed points. Pupils were reasoning aloud – drawing on family conversations, local experience, and a strong intuitive sense of fairness.

The same dynamic appears when pupils talk about school itself. In discussions about attendance, young people did not describe absence as indifference or defiance. Instead, they described decision-making: based on tiredness, stress, whether the day ahead felt manageable or worthwhile. “You get tired of doing the same thing every day…people just don’t like that”, one Year 10 pupil told researchers. Listening to these conversations makes clear that attendance decisions are often practical and emotional judgements, shaped by how young people experience school day-to-day.

Much of this work sits alongside large-scale polling and quantitative analysis – often also conducted by Public First as part of the same project. Polling shows scale, prevalence and trend. But it also raises questions. Why do pupils who say school matters still miss days? Why does awareness of voting age change lag behind the policy change? Why do some messages spread socially even when they are not fully believed?

School-based focus groups are how we answer those questions.

They allow us to explore the why behind the data: how young people interpret and experience the world, how they make judgements and decisions, and how context and place shape their responses. This is insight we cannot get in other ways – asking adults to speak on behalf of young people is not the same as hearing directly from them.

 

Our most valuable insights often begin quietly: with a circle of chairs, a well-judged question, and young people who really feel that they are being listened to.

 

We work with organisations who want a deeper, more grounded understanding of young people’s views, experiences and decision-making – particularly where policy, services or communications depend on getting those insights right. If you’re interested in understanding not just what young people think, but how and why those views are formed, please do get in touch.

We are also always keen to hear from schools who are interested in taking part in future research. If your school would like to contribute to this kind of work, please let us know and we can add you to our research network.