Participant Information
Your child is invited to take part in a research study being conducted by a PhD researcher at Keele University. Before you decide whether to give permission for their involvement, please read the following information carefully. You are welcome to contact the researcher if you have any questions or concerns.
What is the purpose of the research and why has my child been invited?
The research is exploring how young people and educators understand the structure of music education, including ideas such as how opportunities are coordinated and who holds responsibility for supporting their education. This is especially important at a time when music education policy is changing in England. This particular study will involve talking to students in Key Stages 3–5 based in either Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, Telford & Wrekin, or Shropshire – regardless of whether they currently actively participate in musical activities. The study should contain around 400 student participants spread across these regions.
Does my child have to take part?
No, taking part in this research is entirely voluntary. It is up to you to decide if you want your child to take part in the research. If you do not consent for your child to take part then you must inform the school prior to the research taking place. Your child will also have to provide assent at the start of the research, to confirm they understand what the researcher will be asking them about.
What will happen to me if I take part?
If you give consent, your child will be asked to take part in a short research session at school, lasting approximately 30 minutes. The session has two Sections:
Section A: Creative Reflective Task
Your child will participate in a brief exercise where they will express their view of music education, based on their experiences. This will be video recorded from above, but no faces or other identifiable information will be captured. This is just so that the researcher can properly attribute their comments afterwards.
Section B: Follow-up Questionnaire
After the reflection task, your child will complete a short questionnaire about their experiences with music education and the role that music plays in their life.
How will consent and safeguarding be handled?
The research will take place at your child’s school, during the regular school day. Your child’s school will be responsible for selecting a students to take part. The activities will take place in an open-door setting at school, with a teacher or other staff members present at all times. The research will be conducted by the primary researcher, Ben Oakes, supported by a small team of trained research assistants. All members of the team hold enhanced DBS certificates.
In addition to your permission, your child will be asked to give their own informed assent to ensure they understand the research. If they do not wish to take part, they will not be included, even if you have given permission.
What are the risks or benefits?
There are no expected risks to your child’s wellbeing. The study does not involve any sensitive topics, and all activities are designed to be creative, non-judgemental, and respectful of your child’s voice.
This study presents an opportunity for your child to express their thoughts on the current structure of music education systems and this will contribute to high-level research within the sector.
Will my child’s data be kept private?
As part of this study, the following types of data will be collected:
A short creative task that invites your child to reflect on their experiences and perceptions of the music education system (this will be video recorded from above, without capturing identifying features)
A brief demographic survey
All digital raw data will be stored securely on:
An encrypted, password-protected laptop
An encrypted external hard drive
Keele University’s secure cloud storage system (OneDrive)
Physical materials, including any paper-based surveys and creative task outputs, will be securely stored in a locked filing cabinet in the researcher’s office at Keele University. These will be scanned and digitised where appropriate, with physical copies retained securely for the duration of the project and destroyed once no longer needed.
Access to raw data will be restricted to the primary researcher and, if necessary, their academic supervisors. No raw data that could identify your child will be shared with anyone outside the research team without your explicit written permission. The only exception would be if a regulatory authority with legal rights requested access for audit or inspection purposes; such agencies also handle data in confidence.
The researcher will not maintain a record of your child’s name, as the research is completely anonymous. In order to coordinate a potential follow-up interview, your child’s school will retain a list of the students that have participated alongside a code, which is kept by the researcher. Please see below for more details on this process.
Anonymisation and confidentiality
Your child’s identity will be protected using a participant code (e.g., CR824), which will appear on all research materials. No personal identifiers (such as names, school, or recognisable descriptions) will appear in any publications or presentations. Any excerpts from your child’s interview will be fully anonymised. Where optional consent is provided, excerpts from the creative task (such as images) may be used in public-facing research materials. Any identifying features that are inadvertently recorded will be edited to preserve anonymity. All data will be retained securely for a minimum of 10 years, after which it will be securely destroyed.
Limits to confidentiality
If, during the interview, your child discloses information suggesting serious risk of harm to themselves or others, or report unlawful behaviour involving safeguarding concerns, the researcher may be ethically or legally obliged to pass this information on to an appropriate authority. Wherever possible, you will be informed before this happens. Anonymised data (e.g., coded responses, non-identifiable excerpts) may be shared in academic publications, conference presentations, or with funders. Some anonymised data may be shared via open-access platforms under a licence that allows others to reuse the material with appropriate credit to the research team. No personal data will be included in any such outputs.
GDPR compliance
The School of Humanities and Keele University will be using information from your child to undertake this research and will act as the data controller for this study. This means we are responsible for looking after your child’s information and using it properly. Keele University will not keep identifiable personal data (e.g., name, school, or recognisable descriptions).
What if I change my mind?
You can withdraw your consent for your child’s participation up until 17 July, 2026, which is one week before final data analysis is scheduled to begin. After that point, anonymised data may already have been analysed and cannot be removed from the study.
What if there is a problem?
If you have a query, concern or complaint about any aspect of this study, in the first instance you should contact the researcher(s) if appropriate. If the researcher is a student, there will also be an academic member of staff listed as the supervisor whom you can contact. If there is a complaint and there is a supervisor listed, please contact the supervisor with details of the complaint. The contact details for both the researcher and any supervisor are detailed on page one.
If your concern or complaint is not resolved by the researcher or their supervisor, you should contact the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences Research Ethics Committee (humss.ethics@keele.ac.uk).
Who is running the study and how is it funded?
The research is being conducted by Ben Oakes, a PhD student at Keele University, funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) through the North West Consortium Doctoral Training Partnership.
Who has reviewed the study?
Research involving human participants is reviewed by an ethics committee to ensure that the dignity and well-being of participants is respected. This study has been reviewed by the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences Research Ethics Committee and been given favourable ethical opinion.
Thank you
Thank you for taking time to read this information sheet and for considering providing consent for your child to take part in this research. If you do agree to your child participating, your consent will be sought; please see the accompanying consent form.
Name and Contact Details of Researcher:
Ben Oakes, b.j.oakes@keele.ac.uk
Name and Contact Details of Supervisors:
Fiorella Montero-Diaz, r.montero.diaz@keele.ac.uk
Michelle Phillips, michelle.phillips@rncm.ac.uk