Introduction:

As a school we recognise and respect the importance of gaining family insight into pupil programs and the importance of families being aware of how their children are progressing in school especially when those pupils are unable to explain this first hand.  As such we strive to go above and beyond the standard levels of home/school communication available in other provisions. 

There must, however, be some guidance on appropriate levels of that communication to ensure we are providing the best possible pupil provision.  To that end we have constructed this document to make it clear what can and cannot be expected.  The below guidance goes above and beyond what is available in other mainstream and SEND provisions.

This guidance is in place to ensure that the majority of staff’s time is spent working with and for our pupils to ensure they progress and are able to live their best life possible.

At Chatten Parents can expect that we will work with children to:

• Achieve individual pupil goals
• Support pupils to be:
  • Happy
  • Independent
  • Respected
  • Access the world in a meaningful way

Parents can expect that as a school we will:

• Use our wide scope of expertise to plan for and deliver exceptional learning to our pupils using a multi-disciplinary approach.
• Make informed decisions about the best allocation of resources including expert input and physical spaces.

In terms of communication Parents can expect:

• Basic daily updates about pupils day including:
  • Eating
  • Toileting
  • Emotional/behavioural demeanour
• Updates via Dojo/EFL 2-3 times per week regarding progress on a minimum of one target that has been addressed that day.  Often but not always this will include a photo or video.
• Optional (for parents) termly meetings to discuss individual targets and progress for individual pupils. These are opportunities for families to share thoughts and opinions on the pupil program.  We value family input and recognise its significance in providing positive outcomes for pupils. (staring Summer 2023)
• Response and/or action ASAP to quick contact through DOJO/email regarding day to day issues such as: illness, lunches, clothing etc
• A response to more complex contact within 3 working days of the original contact
• Access to a developing library of online and recorded training for parents.
• Communication from SALT/OT in the form of brief notes on EFL when sessions have been completed.
• On some occasions we may offer brief pieces of work advising parents directly on implementing certain strategies in the home environment but this will usually be the realm of social care. When we do offer this type of support it will always be during the school day.

We ask parents to respect the following limitations on this communication:

• Daily updates will likely be brief and to the point.
• We cannot communicate regularly across multiple platforms (for example communication book and Dojo) if you require an non-electronic communication system please let us know and we will be happy to discuss your needs but we cannot run multiple communication systems for individual pupils.
• Updates on Dojo/EFL will not cover all targets and may not include extensive descriptions at all times.
• Optional termly meeting will include the class teacher only.  Other professionals may visit these meetings for a short time if it is deemed an appropriate allocation of expert time.
• Optional termly meetings will often be coupled with other meetings such as CIN and one of these meeting will incorporate the EHCP review.
• We will usually try to keep these meetings to 1.5 hours to allow staff to return to working with pupils and slots in diaries will be booked as such.
• Termly meetings are the forum provided by the school to discuss individual program elements and progress. We cannot respond to frequent questions about programs or elements of programs outside of these meetings.
• Please remember that while we will try to support with issues regarding other agencies (social/medical), we may only be able to provide limited advice and support.  We will, however, try to point you in the right direction when we don’t know the answer or cannot help directly.
• Although we may offer some suggestions or even support around your child’s behaviour in the home, we are limited as an educational establishment in this area.  We will, of course, do the best we can and will sometimes support you by referring you to outside agencies. We hope that the termly meetings and online training will be valuable ways to provide this support.  We are also working on several projects that we hope might extend the scope of what we do to outside of school, but these will take time.
• We ask teachers to keep phone calls below 20 minutes to allow them to continue their work with and for the pupils.

At Chatten we expect parents to:

• Keep in touch around absence
• Be available on the phone for us to contact you in the day (regarding sickness etc)
• Collect children when they are unwell
• Be polite and courteous to all our staff in all modes of communication
• Communicate with us about changes or circumstances at home which may affect your child’s presentation/behaviour in school
• Respect the boundaries set in section 4
• Recognise that we are a school designed to meet the needs of the specific pupils at Chatten Free School and trust us to use that expertise to fulfil our promises in sections 1 and 2.

Conclusion

As a school, we know how important it is for you to hear about your child’s day and progress, and we respect the importance of family input with regard to child development.  We also recognise that learning does not stop at the end of the school day.  The above agreement provides guidance on how we can do this while ensuring that the majority of our staff’s time and expertise is given to supporting your child to thrive, a goal which we know you will agree is the most important thing at Chatten Free School.