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PASS

Understand students’ views of themselves and their experience at school and provide relevant support with our interventions straight away

Pupil Attitudes to Self and School (PASS) is a digital survey that identifies non-academic barriers that may affect learning and engagement in the wider school community, including motivation and confidence. It also provides interventions and guidance so you can start to address issues immediately.

Many students struggle with resilience and confidence, which can impact their behaviour, attendance and achievement. PASS provides measurable insights into students’ attitudes towards learning, helping you to improve engagement and strengthen their sense of belonging.

At a glance

Age ranges
4–18+ years
Test duration
20 minutes
Test format
Digital (English)

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How PASS can help you

Supports children’s wellbeing

PASS is a tool that helps take the guesswork out of understanding why some students are reluctant learners, why they are underachieving or why they are misbehaving.

If a child is quiet, they can go unnoticed, and underlying issues can have a serious impact on their attainment and engagement with learning. Similarly, children who are disruptive can also be disguising the true reasons behind their behaviour.

Schools consistently tell us that PASS helps to identify children they would never have suspected of needing further pastoral support.

Identifies fragile learners

PASS helps you to quickly identify learners that may be ‘fragile’ and lacking confidence – and who might otherwise be missed. PASS is a digital assessment that can be used with learners across primary and secondary settings (aged 4-18). It identifies non-academic barriers related to nine key factors that could be impacting or go on to impact engagement and/or learning outcomes. PASS, especially when combined with Cognitive Abilities Test (CAT4), helps to reveal sometimes hidden challenges that might have otherwise been overlooked.

Quick and easy to administer

PASS takes just 20 minutes to complete, so it can be easily administered during a form period. It can be taken on a tablet or PC and translations are available in 27 languages.

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PASS survey example (Levels 2-4)

PASS is a short multiple-choice survey. Students are asked to respond to a series of statements about learning and school, corresponding to nine standardised factors with proven links to educational goals.

Improving school climate & culture

Inform strategic decisions to improve your school’s climate and culture with cohort and cluster-level reporting.

Reports provide data on individuals, key groups, classes, year groups, whole schools and across school, all within the context of national benchmarks.

Through PASS, leaders can adopt a common data set to evaluate schools and set appropriate goals for improvement, ensuring that all stakeholders – whether school-based or leading across a group of schools – are working toward the same positive outcomes.

Ready-made, practical next steps

PASS comes with 70+ evidence-based interventions, each linked to specific areas of PASS, providing practical next steps to address areas of need.

These interventions support whole school, class, group and individual needs, allowing you to personalise wellbeing support and improve student engagement at scale. With proven strategies, you can confidently address issues and plan effective interventions.

Reconnections are an additional series of intervention strategies, designed to help rebuild student confidence after periods of absence, ensuring students get the support they need to thrive.

Monitor changes over time

Use PASS reporting to track and evaluate changes in school climate and culture through the eyes of your students.

We recommend administering the survey twice per year to identify ongoing barriers for individuals or groups, guiding decisions for support and intervention.

Allow at least 12 weeks between surveys and compare results to monitor changes in attitudes and the impact of your interventions.

PASS in action

Explore packages PASS is a part of

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FAQs

What does PASS do?

It uncovers the sometimes hidden emotional or attitudinal problems within individuals or cohorts (such as low self-regard or attitudes to attendance) likely to hinder achievement at school.

Students respond to a series of statements about school and learning. These correspond to nine factors proven to be linked to educational goals: feelings about school, perceived learning capability, self-regard, attitudes to teachers, general work ethic, attitudes to attendance, preparedness for learning, response to curriculum demands, and confidence in learning.

Who uses it?

It’s widely used across primary, secondary and independent schools. Almost two million PASS assessments have been completed over the last five years.

When is the best time to use PASS?

PASS can be taken at any time, but once or twice per year is recommended, first to identify issues, then later to measure the impact of interventions. Most secondary schools use it first at transition once students have settled in, then a second time at least 12 weeks later.

How do pupils feel about taking PASS?

Schools often tell us that their students respond well to it. The test is quick and accessible, and there is evidence that it encourages children to open up about things that have been worrying them.

Is PASS suitable for use with EAL children?

Yes, it’s available in English and Welsh versions online, and in 26 other languages on paper. This means that you can find out if any issues are actually down to a language barrier rather than emotional or attitudinal problems.

How reliable is it?

PASS was established by educational psychologists and standardised on 600,000 children, so you can trust its accuracy in measuring highly subjective and sensitive issues. Results are set against national benchmarks, so you can see how your students compare to the national picture.

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