School Communication for Parents & Carers
We recognise the importance of maintaining lines of communication with parents and carers and we are committed to doing this is a way that is accessible and helpful but also that is realistic, practical and manageable. All Uplands staff recognise the communication is a two way process and aims to ensure that parents are listened to and that their concerns are dealt with in a professional, timely and appropriate manner.
We aim to ensure that our communications:-
· Keep parents and carers appropriately informed
· Are honest, ethical and professional
· Use language that can be easily understood
· Be carried out within an agreed time frame
· Use the method most effective and appropriate to the context, message and audience.
In order to help us with this, we ask you to make sure that we have accurate contact details for you and that these are updated if anything should change.
Letters
Letters sent out from school will be by email unless a parent or carer opts for a receiving it on paper. If a paper copy is requested it will be sent home via the student inside the Home-School communication book. The letters will be available via the website as well.
Home-School Communication
Uplands has the following guidelines to ensure effective and prompt communication with parents/carers
1. Parents and carers can expect a daily communication in the form of a comment in the home/school communication book. We would ask that this is read every day and a response or comment about the evening/morning is added by parents/carers where this would aid us to support your young person in school. Please use this as the main form of communication particularly if you are sharing important information for that day as teachers will not access their emails until later in the day.
2. If your young person receives any first aid during the school day you will receive a written document to give you the details. In relation to a more serious injury we will try to contact you by telephone but bearing in mind that the first and greatest priority will be looking after the needs of the student.
3. Some classes also use class DoJo* as way of communicating the activities of the group to parents and it is up to individual teachers to decide if they wish to do this. Please note that this is not a suitable platform for communications about individual students and should not be used for such a dialogue.
4. If teachers or other members of the teaching staff have additional information to share, either regarding something that has gone well, or presented a challenge
including behaviour management, then they will endeavour to telephone you at the end of the school day. If they cannot reach you at the first attempt they will leave a message which can be followed up. Teachers are busy at the end of the school day with their preparation, planning and assessment and cannot therefore always prioritise making repeated attempts to call a parent.
Parents are able to communicate via email with teachers or any members of the middle or senior leadership and our email addresses are available by calling reception.
1. Staff will aim to respond to emails as promptly as they can when emails are received within the school working day (9:10-3:30).
2. There may well be times when the issue would be better resolved either by a phone call or by a meeting in school and this will then be set up with the relevant people. Lengthy email exchanges with parents are best avoided as they are both very time consuming for staff and often impractical in terms of resolving issues. We will indicate if we feel an issue would best be handled by a telephone conversation or a meeting and will book a convenient time with you for this to take place.
3. Staff are only expected to respond to emails in school hours (9:10-3:30) and so please bear this in mind in order to respect their well-being.
Communication about student progress
This takes place at our two parents evenings in October and May and at the annual review meeting. Parents will also receive a report at the end of the school year.
Further Information
If you need any further information, which is not supplied on the website, then please do contact Louise Powell, Uplands School SENCo on 01793 493910 or send an email to lpowell@uplandsschool.org.uk