Working with parents

At Barrowford St Thomas CE Primary School, we believe that it is essential to develop strong partnerships with home if our children are to achieve their full potential. Parents and schools working as partners can only increase pupil achievement and help to develop positive attitudes about self and school.

We aim to:

• Be a welcoming and friendly school for parents/carers and visitors.
• Establish a mutually supportive and respectful relationship with all of our parents where trust and clear communication is at the heart of all we do.
• Keep parents informed and involved in a positive way, through working in partnership together in order to help every pupil achieve their full potential socially, emotionally and academically.
• Respond swiftly and efficiently to the needs of parent callers and visitors.
• Provide timely and relevant information for parents through the use of our text messaging service, school website, the email distribution of letters and newsletters.
• Bring pupils’ learning to life for parents via the school website and open afternoons/presentations.

The school would like an effective partnership with parents by valuing your help in the following ways:

• Coming to school on time both at the beginning and end of the day
• Getting to know your child’s teacher so that you can share in their achievements and concerns
• Making an appointment if you need to talk at length about your child
• Attending all Parents Meetings/Curriculum workshops
• Reading at home daily with your child and taking an interest in homework
• Reading all letters that are emailed or your child brings home
• Keeping us informed of any changes to circumstances which may affect your child in school

Our experience and research shows that effective partnership with parents is reflected in a more successful performance by children at school. We do make mistakes and there are misunderstandings but these can be reduced to a minimum if we keep in close contact and work together to put things right.

Keeping You Informed
We make every effort to ensure that parents are well informed about their child’s progress and the work of the school.

Each year parents can expect:

• Termly information from your child’s teacher about curriculum topics.
• Two parents’ evenings (individual meetings with your child’s teacher) in the Autumn and Spring. Targets for your children are shared with you so that you can support your child at home.  terms to discuss progress and any areas of concern.
• Appointments can also be arranged at the end of the Summer Term to discuss End of year Reports.
• An annual written report on your child’s progress. In addition to the annual report for children in Y2 and Y6 parents receive information about their performance in the Standard Assessment Tasks (SATs).
• A monthly newsletter and a regularly updated website.
• Classroom Workshops – throughout the year, we invite parents to take part in activities in a specific area of the curriculum so that they can find out how their child learns at school in order to support them effectively at home.
• A ‘How To Help guide‘, specifically for key areas such as reading, mathematics and spelling.
• Reminders, updates and letters about specific events.
• Celebration Events such as special assemblies, Harvest and Christmas presentations, Sports day and music concerts etc.
• Information about their child’s learning experiences via the class page on the school website.

Other

• Good News certificates - children who have been chosen for excellent work and behaviour are given a good news certificate which is celebrated in Friday worship. Each certificate celebrates a specific learning power which the child has demonstrated that week (click here)

Meeting Staff
If you have any questions or concerns, please remember that staff are only too happy to talk with you.  Quick messages can be passed onto a member of staff at the designated school door before or after school. You can also pass on messages via Mrs Chapman or Mrs Rides in the office.

If the issue might take some time to solve, we would ask that you ring the school office to make an appointment with either the class teacher, or Mrs Duckworth.

Parents needing to meet with staff are politely requested to report to the main office via the front entrance.

Helping your child
Home and school are the two most powerful influences on children and only by working together can we ensure children get the best education.

Do please help us by:

• Talking to your child about schoolwork. Show your children that you are interested and want them to do well.
• Seeing that your child comes to school alert, in good time and having had sufficient sleep and breakfast.
• Making sure your child comes to school dressed in correct uniform, without jewellery and wearing suitable footwear – no trainers please except for PE day.
• Supporting your child to access their homework (or remote learning) via our online Seesaw learning platform (all children have a login) or other online resources (such as Times Table Rock Stars).
• Encouraging your child to read at home at least three times a week and using the reading recording system.
• Ensuring that any spellings or tables sent home are learned.
• Trying to provide your child with a quiet atmosphere to complete any homework to a high standard.
• Teaching your child to respect the school and its staff, and to support the school’s Behaviour Policy/school Rules.
• Ensuring your child does not bring any toys, sweets, money or chewing gum into school.
• Helping your child to be responsible. E.g. By having the correct equipment ready at the start of every lesson, taking care not to lose uniform, handing in mobile phones to the office.
• Helping your child to be independent. E.g. carrying their own book bag, handing in homework on time.

 
Parent Volunteers

At Barrowford St Thomas CE Primary School, we really appreciate the involvement of parents and other volunteers in school. Whether you can offer half an hour a week or a whole morning or afternoon, you are always very welcome to come into school and become involved with various learning activities.  

We find tremendous value in Parent Volunteers helping in school however short a period of time. Help is needed to work alongside teachers in the following ways:

• To share books with children; listen to the children read (training provided by our teachers)
• To work in the library; our recently improved library would really benefit from parental support
• To work with groups of children for sewing, cooking and crafts in after school clubs or during curriculum time
• To work with children outside in our garden area and polytunnel.
• Helping to lead after school activities such as football, netball etc.

Please let the office or class teachers know if you can help out with any of these activities.

As with work placement students, everyone working with children is subject to a satisfactory DBS check.

Parents are also warmly welcomed into school through formal invitations to parent’s assemblies, sports days, parent’s evenings and so on.

Share & Listen – As part of our ongoing commitment to further improving communication within school, if you have any comments/suggestions re: the development of the school, we would invite parents to put forward their views constructively via email to the headteacher at: 
 

head@st-thomas-pri.lancs.sch.uk

Activity Passport
The Education Secretary has launched a new “passport” of activities for Primary school children to challenge them to go on a nature trail, visit a local landmark or make a treasure map to encourage more family time and help build children’s character and resilience.

Activities are split into year groups and are intended to support parents and schools in introducing children to a wide variety of experiences and fulfilling activities like flying a kite, learning something new about the local area or putting on a performance. 

Please visit the official Government Website below to download an activity checklist, which includes guidance, a foreword from the Secretary of State and supporting resources.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/my-activity-passport