Communication

How does the school communicate information to parents?

Arbor Portal-parent/carer access

Emails and letters are sent via Arbor and parents/carers can log onto the Arbor Portal by clicking https://login.arbor.sc/ or downloading the Arbor App to their mobile device.

If you are having Arbor issues please contact us on 01952 468400 or email [email protected]

Website
Lots of useful information is posted on the school website including letters/emails, latest news stories, exam information, event details, term dates, Parents’ Evening dates etc. Please check the website regularly for updates and information.

Telephone
In certain circumstances, we may contact you via phone/text (where a mobile number is provided).

How do parents contact the school?

General Enquiries

For general enquiries from parents and members of the public, please contact reception on 01952 468400.

If you are unsure about who you need to speak to or who may be able to assist you with your enquiry, please call 01952 468400 and the receptionist will direct your call to the appropriate person

Contacting your child’s tutor

Your child’s tutor should be your first point of contact (apart from when you are reporting your child absent, please see notes below).

Every parent/carer has been issued with a Tutor Contact Form which provides details on your child’s tutor and how to contact them directly. If you have not received this information, please contact us on 01952 468400 or email [email protected]

Please also see notes below regarding expectations for communication with staff.

Student absence
When reporting your child as absent, please ALWAYS contact the Attendance Officer FIRST on the details below:

• Lower school attendance number is 01952 468400 (Option 2) or direct 01952 468403 or email [email protected]
• 6^th form attendance number is 01952 468400 (Option 1) or direct 01952 468406 or email [email protected]

For a list of key staff contact details, please click here.

Expectations for communications between parents, carers and staff

Overview

It is very important to us that we work closely in partnership with parents and carers, and communication between home and school is key. We recognise however that it can often be difficult communicating with teachers because they have a very full timetable; and we recognise that parents and carers also have very busy lives.

Telephone

Please use the main reception number to leave a message for a teacher to contact you:

• Reception staff will relay messages to teachers as soon as possible.
• If a call is urgent, please inform the receptionist who will attempt to find a senior member of staff to speak to you.
• We will try to respond within three working days, if not sooner.
• Please note lessons will never be interrupted for teachers to take calls.

Email

Please use staff email addresses if you need to contact staff directly:

• Teachers are not in a position to check emails consistently throughout the day and the school does not expect work email to be checked during a teacher’s personal time.
  • Emails from parents/carers will be responded to during school working hours (8am-4pm).
• We aim to respond to you as soon as possible and within three working days. Part-time staff may take longer to reply.

Meetings

The day-to-day care, welfare and safety of your child is managed by the person who is placed closest to them.

• In the first instance, please approach the following members of staff who are responsible for your child in the following order:

1. Form Tutor or Classroom Teacher (if query is relevant to a specific subject)
2. Head of Academic Progress (for academic issues) or Director of subject (if query is relevant to a specific subject). Student Support (for pastoral issues)
3. Assistant Headteacher
4. Deputy Headteacher
5. Headteacher

• Meetings should always be pre-arranged with members of staff. Please do not visit the school without an appointment hoping to see a member of staff
• It is not acceptable to go beyond reception to find a member of staff.
• If you urgently need to see someone, for instance if there is a serious family emergency or a child protection issue, please phone ahead and the reception staff will do their best to find a senior member of staff to see you.
• For non-urgent meetings we will aim to meet with you within five working days. The school will determine the level of urgency at its discretion, to enable it to manage multiple demands.

Mobile Phones/Photographs, Recording and Videos

Visitors are prohibited from taking photographs, recording, or taking videos at any time whilst on the school site. To support this, all mobile phones and other recording devices need to be locked in the lockers provided in Reception.

Thank you for supporting our phone-free school.

No response

If you have not received a response from the school within three working days please contact the school by emailing [email protected] and we will chase up your enquiry. Communication with parents and carers is important to us, and we will continue to monitor this policy and our approach to improve the process further.