Parent Involvement Policy

We will work in partnership with parents to ensure  that our pupils have every opportunity to enjoy,  achieve and learn together.  We will promote positive partnerships with parent, founded on effective, honest and open communication,  on mutual respect and the shared aspirations that each child reaches their potential whilst at the school.

We acknowledge that parents are as individual as their children and that their needs, hopes and priorities will vary over time and from one set of parents to another.  Therefore their level of involvement with the school is also likely to vary during their child’s school career, as is the type of involvement. 

We hope that parents will want to be actively involved in their child’s school life, both educationally and socially and that they will feel able to contact the school to discuss any worries, concerns or uncertainties that they might have. We will encourage parents to actively participate in their child’s education by following up and extending the work carried out in school, by sharing new or different ideas and approaches and by keeping us informed about how their child behaves when out of school.  We hope that school and home will work together to achieve consistent results across all areas of development by sharing each other’s skills and knowledge. We also hope that parents will want to let us know about significant events that happen outside of school which relate to their child.

We recognise the isolation that our parents often feel and the desire to acquire further information and advice about a wide range of issues.  We provide a range of courses / workshops within school, run by our own staff as well as outside speakers. Some of these are general courses and others are targeted for specific parents. We can also sign post parents to other services.

We welcome voluntary help from parents with classroom activities and with other tasks that contribute to the smooth running of the school.  In most cases where parents or family members are acting as regular volunteers we would not expect them to be working in their own child’s class or group.  This is for a number of reasons including possible jealousy from other pupils or the child expecting the undivided attention of the parent.  Parents may be asked occasionally to help in their own child’s class for specific events or trips.

We want teaching time to be used for the direct benefit of the children.  We would therefore ask all parents and carers to arrange for any lengthy discussions to take place before or after teaching time (9.15 - 3.30).  Telephone messages can be left with the secretary.  Meetings can be arranged in school time but need to be planned in advance. The Headteacher, Deputy Heads and/or School Nurse are usually available to talk to parents every morning and can generally be contacted by telephone throughout the day. We will  ensure that the school is a welcoming and caring environment to ensure that parents are kept fully informed about their child’s activities and achievements.

We will conduct an annual parent survey during the summer term to gather the valued views and opinions of parents and carers and to give them the opportunity to feedback on a range of school issues. We also take opportunities throughout the year to gather feedback and views from parents.

Parental involvement with the school includes the following:

Home/School Diary and class/parent communication

This is a personal means of communication between the class teacher and parents.  It will generally be written in by the class teacher once a week but may be completed more often in particular circumstances.  Parents are asked to give us news of their activities over the weekend and to answer any questions in the book.  The book can also be used by parents to ask questions, make observations and inform school of any forthcoming appointments. In addition to the Class – Home communication diary, class teachers are responsible for discussing with parents any additional communication needs they may have i.e. daily information  sheets, email etc.

Parents’ Information Evening

Early in the autumn term parents will be invited to an information  evening during which they will get the opportunity to visit their child’s class and meet the staff, get more information about class routines, as well as meet governors and other parents. Information is also availablefrom a range of community support organisations and providers who set up stands in the school hall.

Parents’ consultation evenings

These take place before each half term break and give parents the chance to discuss with the class teacher their child’s progress and review and set their Individual Pupil Pathway (IPP) targets.

Parents’ Workshops

Workshops and seminars for parents are arranged on a regular basis and may cover a wide range of issues such as sleep problems, behaviour, communication, etc.

Social Events and class activities

Parents and families are regularly invited to visit classes throughout the year and for whole school events such as the Christmas Show, Sports Day and the leavers’ assembly where their support and participation are much appreciated.

Website

This contains a variety of factual information about the school, prospectus, term dates etc as well as news from classes, special events and useful links. It is continuously being added to and updated.  Each class has pages on the website which contains an updated timetable, class activities planner, contact information and photos of recent class activities.

FOBS

The Friends of Brooklands School charity group is made up of a mixture of parents and staff members.  It exists to promote social events at which the whole family is welcome and also to raise funds to enhance the provision and activities available at the school.  Committee officers are elected annually at the A.G.M.

Weekly Newsletter

This is sent home weekly from the school office and contains general news, future dates, FOBS events and other general information for parents and families.

Website

This is sent home three times a year after each half term and summarises the experiences of the child and progress over the previous half term to half term period.

Annual Review of Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP)

This meeting takes place once a year (6 monthly for pupils aged under 5).  Parents are encouraged to attend the review and to complete the parents’ comments section of the paperwork beforehand. 

Individual Pupil Pathways (IPPs)

These documents are set and reviewed three times a year and are sent to parents after each half term break.  They are closely linked to the outcomes identified for individual pupils in their Statement or EHCP which are broken down into termly targets and linked to specific areas of the curriculum.

Timetables

A class timetable is provided to parents at the start of each term and is posted on the class pages on the school website.

Class planners

Each term class teachers will produce a ‘class planner’ which provides both staff and parents with an overview of the learning activities that their child will undertake during that term and which can be followed up at home. This is posted on the class pages of the school website.

Home learning activities

The school is committed to meeting the individual ‘homework’ needs of each pupil and teaching staff will consult with parents at the start of the academic on home learning opportunities for their child.

Governing Body Parent Champion

A nominated member of the Governor Body works closely with the school and with parents in addressing issues and leading on key projects.  Their contact details are available in the weekly newsletter.

Home-School Agreement

All parents are asked to sign this when their child starts school and sets out the expectations that the school has of parents and families.        

Brooklands School will:

• communicate with you regularly, keep you informed about your child’s achievements and encourage you to plan and work with us
• suggest work or programmes for you to follow at home if requested
• share information with you about your child’s health, attendance and behaviour
• in the event that there are serious concerns about your child’s welfare and well-being outside of school, pass these on to Children’s Services if necessary
• offer opportunities for you to discuss your child’s progress and send home ‘Individual Pupil Pathways’  (IPPs) and progress reports each term
• tell you about the curriculum we offer
• encourage and support you to take part in the life of the school

The Family will:

• share successes and concerns with the school
• contribute to plans and discussions for their child
• respond to letters and queries
• keep school up to date regarding appointments and any changes to contact details
• try to share in the wider life of the school
• ensure that their child attends school when fit, healthy and with all the right equipment
• respect and value all members of the school community; staff, governors, parents, pupils and other professionals working in partnership with the school