What You Can Expect When You Need To Communicate With School
IN PERSON
Class teachers will be out on the playground at the beginning of the day from 8.40am and at the end of the day. If you need to let teachers know anything about your child regarding the day ahead, please try to catch them before 8.45am when the bell is rung and the lines start going in. Teachers find it helpful if you can provide a note. At the end of the day, unless they have clubs or meetings, teachers can be more available to meet parents. Please always let them know straight away if you know it is a conversation best had in private. If the school day has started, please pass on any information or concerns to the office team who will relay the information onto the class teacher.
PHONE CALLS
The school number is 01453 883273. Phone calls to the school office will go to answerphone from 9.30am until 2.30pm. The office will pick up immediately if it is clear from the message being left that it is a matter of urgency.
E-MAILS
Please direct all e-mail communication first and foremost to the school office via admin@minch.dgat.org.uk. The office will then forward e-mails to the appropriate member of staff. If you have a concern or an issue or something of a confidential nature to discuss, please look to send an e-mail to the school office. You may, of course, prefer to put anything confidential in an attachment and ask for the e-mail to be forwarded on to the relevant member of staff.
GETTING BACK TO THE PERSON
The school staff will aim to get back to parents within 24hrs of receiving a communication, or as soon as possible if the matter is urgent. We ask that parents try to apply the same principle when replying to a request or concern from school.
What You Can Expect When You Have A Meeting With A Staff Member
MAKING APPOINTMENTS
If you would like, or have been asked, to make an appointment with a member of staff, please note it is very difficult to organise them during the school day. Before or immediately after school are the best times. We recognise that work commitments can make it difficult to attend at the above times; staff will do their very best to accommodate alternatives. In the first instance, please aim to make an appointment with your child’s class teacher or the adult best placed to answer your need.
MEETINGS
At the outset of a meeting, both parties to agree what they aim to get out of the meeting and the time available. Meetings to be held in spaces appropriate to the possible content of the meeting eg. sometimes there is a need for greater confidentiality. Minutes will be held of meetings where necessary.
What Communications You Can Expect From School
WEBSITE
www.minchacademy.net is the hub for all information, including upcoming events detailed on the Parent Calendar and letters home uploaded on the Letters page. News is posted by staff and pupils on a news blog.
NEWSLETTER
The school newsletter is sent by e-mail every Friday afternoon, featuring a range of information, reminders, news stories and notices. Please make sure you have subscribed to receive it.
E-MAILS & TEXTS: SCHOOL COMMS
The school office will send you e-mails and texts via the School Comms system. Please download the School Gateway App from your app store, or online via www.schoolgateway.com in order to receive your PIN to log in. You will receive texts about short term changes, any urgent matters or when your child wants to share some great learning with you in a text worded by them.
SOCIAL MEDIA & SCHOOL
On Facebook, there is a School page, a PTA group & a Minchinhampton Parents’ group. On Twitter, things of interest will be tweeted on an ongoing basis.
Termly Communications
PARENT FORUMS
Once a term before a PTA meeting, the Headteacher holds a Parent Forum (all parents are welcome) to discuss upcoming initiatives or any concerns parents may have.
REPORTS & PARENTS EVENINGS
At the outset of the Autumn term, teachers hold an Information Evening to meet parents, introduce any ‘ways of working’ for the year ahead and to answer any queries. Half way through the term, we send home a brief Report Card before our first Parents Evenings of the year. The Report Card acts as a conversation starter for the evening itself. In the Spring Term parents receive their child’s ‘Annual Report’. Key Stage 2 pupils play a significant role in writing this report, working closely with their class teachers. Annual Reports are sent home the week before our second Parents Evenings. In the Summer term, we send homeanother a brief Report Card. These are followed by an Open Afternoon for parents.
CURRICULUM EVENINGS
Each year a number of ‘Curriculum Evenings’ are held for parents where new initiatives, practices and teaching methods are introduced by staff or visiting speakers.