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Communication with Parents
COMMUNICATION WITH PARENTS
An effective partnership is dependent upon good communication. We are committed to regular, accurate and useful communications with our parents. The school will ensure that there is clear communication about all areas of school life. We also promise to be a school that will communicate good news as readily as any other kind of news! We welcome parents contacting the school and will do all we can to assist you with your questions and enquiries. The world of education is fast-changing and sometimes confusing; you will not be kept in the dark.
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Key Contact Information
The school can be contacted at:
Bierton Road Site: 0121 464 0751
Hob Moor Road Site: 0121 464 8412
Starbank Road Site: 0121 464 2638
Email: info@starbank.staracademies.org
School Administration Office hours are 7.45am to 4.00pm Monday to Friday. You can write to us addressing your letter to The Associate Principal or to a specific member of staff at:
Starbank School Bierton Road Site Birmingham B25 8PY Starbank School – All through site Hob Moor Road Birmingham B10 9BT Starbank School Starbank Road Site Birmignham B10 9LR
Suggestions
If you wish to leave a comment or suggestion, please speak to a member of the senior leadership team. Alternatively, you can email your suggestions to info@starbank.staracademies.org. All comments and suggestions are reviewed by the senior leadership team on a regular basis.
The School Website
The school website (www.starbankschool.co.uk) is updated regularly and is the principle source of news and information about the school. Our website contains any policies you may wish to read, and all letters sent home to parents are uploaded under our ‘Primary News’ section.
The school Twitter page will be used primarily to share and celebrate children’s and school achievements, successes with staff, parents, governors, other professionals and the wider community. Similarly, it will also contain information detailing special events in school. The aim of this is to run alongside more traditional methods like sending home letters, and not to replace it. https://twitter.com/starbank_school
Newsletters
In addition to specific letters, the Associate Principal will write regular newsletters to keep our pupils and parents updated on school life. These are distributed to the children to bring home, but can also be viewed on our school website.
Text Messaging Service and Class Charts
Text messages are used by the school to remind you of important information, deadlines, and regular updates if your child is attending an educational visit and also to let you know when an important letter is sent home with them. If the school needs to remain closed or finish early (e.g. due to snow/severe weather/burst pipes etc.), we will send a text message to you by 7.30am in the morning. The text messaging service is a quick and easy way to provide key information to parents in a timely manner. It is therefore important that you provide the school with a preferred mobile phone number and update us of any changes to this. As we continue to embed the use of Class Charts, it is our intention to use this platform to celebrate achievement, monitor behaviour and share information with parents. This will replace text messages.
Communicating Progress
Pupil success will be achieved through robust and aspirational target setting and close tracking of progress at all levels – supported by real-time attainment, attendance and behaviour data. In order to keep you informed of your child’s progress and behaviour in all subjects and their attendance and punctuality the school will organise: ▪ Half-termly report cards, which include results of regular tests that your child completes in in reading, writing and maths. These will also be posted to homes. ▪ One-to-one meeting with the Class Teacher in the first half term, at which the teacher will talk you through the school’s expectations, procedures and processes, and provide time for you to share any concerns or ask any questions. ▪ Parents’ Evening each term to review progress and set targets.
▪ Performance Review Meeting with a senior leader each half term to review your child’s progress, if their levels/grades are below nationally expected averages. ▪ Parent Curriculum Workshops at least once a term to introduce parents to key concepts such as
Phonics.
We request all parents to attend the Parents’ Evenings to which they have been invited. It is vital that parents are involved in reviewing their child’s progress and agree on how we can all help them to improve. Research shows that the more parental involvement there is in a pupil’s school life, the more progress they make.
Concerns or Complaints
Your child’s welfare is the responsibility of all of our staff at the school. The school is committed to listening to parents’ concerns and handling them in a sensitive way. Class teachers should be contacted in the first instance should you have any concerns. A member of the Senior Leadership Team can be approached if you are still dissatisfied. It is always the aim of the school to resolve issues and concerns informally but a school Complaints Policy is available for parents who feel that any issues have not been satisfactorily addressed. The Complaints Policy is available to download from the school website or can be obtained from the School’s Administration Office.
Visiting the School
If you wish to meet with any member of staff, please book an appointment in advance through our Main School Office. All visitors, including parents, should report to the School Reception, where visitors will be requested to sign in upon arrival, and sign out when leaving. Visitors must wear a visitor badge at all times during their visit. Visitors will be directed to the appropriate offices, or asked to wait in the reception area until the member of staff has been notified of the visitor’s arrival.
Get Involved
As part of our home-school partnership, we want our parents to be actively involved in the life of the school. We hold a variety of workshops throughout the year and organise charity and family events for the community.
