Parents

Our Relationship With Parents

We foster a strong partnership with all our parents to enable all the children to gain the most from their time at the school. We welcome a wide range of parental help in school. There are always opportunities to become involved in school, whether it is on a “one off” basis more regular help such as assisting with the changing of reading books, helping with food technology, reading and so on.

If problems arise while your child is at school it is always best that these are discussed as early as possible so that a way forward can be agreed upon. If parents, staff and children work together we are far more likely to be able to resolve any difficulties. Likewise we share and celebrate the successes of individual pupils and the school as a whole.

In recent years, we have held a growing number of workshops, information evening and drop-in events in order to help us work together for the benefit or our children.

Teachers are always happy to see parents after school if there is a quick a parent wishes to ask. It is generally best to make an appointment through the school office as some days are better than others for teachers to see to you. Appointments can generally be made very quickly. Likewise, if the school has any concerns about your child, we will make an appointment with you to discuss them. If children have particular difficulties and need extra support, we will meet with their parents on a regular basis to discuss their progress.

If you are not able to pop into the school office you can telephone or send a message to the teacher via the book bag in an envelope, reading record (EY and KS1) or planner (KS2). You can also email the school office at admin@stmichaelsjmi.herts.sch.uk

Home - School Communication

We have many strategies in place to enable us to communicate as effectively as possible with families, in addition to regular events such as consultation evenings for parents.

Headteacher’s Newsletters

These include news items, diary dates, etc., and keep parents in touch with the latest developments in school.

Parent consultation evenings

We hold parent consultation meetings in the autumn and spring terms and an Open Classroom session in the summer term. Parents are invited into school to see the teachers and discuss their child’s progress.

Information Evenings and Workshops

From time to time we hold information evenings covering subjects such as assessment, curriculum subjects, safeguarding, mindfulness, often in response to requests from parents.

Invitations

Families are invited to sports days, collective worship and church services, assemblies, concerts and school productions on a regular basis. We try to vary the times of school events so that as many people as possible are able to join us.

Annual written reports

Each child receives a written report in July, giving details of progress and achievements as well as areas for development for the future.

Support for ‘new’ parents

We understand that starting school can be as daunting for the parents as it may be for their children! We aim to be as helpful and informative as possible, but we do appreciate that parents may have additional questions that they wish to ask when they experience school life from the ‘other side’, perhaps for the first time. Please do not hesitate to approach any member of staff with any queries you have, or perhaps the parent of another pupil may easily be able to answer any concern that you may have.

How you can help us

There are a wide variety of ways you can help us, from reading with children, helping on trips, supporting in school events and activities to admin tasks and helping to run clubs. For some of these activities, if you are in regularly, you may need additional safeguarding checks, such as a DBS certificate. We send out a 'volunteer helper' pack at the beginning of each year, so watch out for more details about helping in school in the pack.

Parent Views

We carry out surveys at various points during each school year and often ask parents to participate in surveys on specific issues and more formal consultations.


Please see the link below for the Ofsted Parent View Website:

https://parentview.ofsted.gov.uk/