Devonshire Infant School

PARENT PARTNERSHIP POLICY

Rationale
All parents and carers are equally valued as part of our school community. Children's
learning is improved when we work in partnership with their parents or carers, and their
wider family. We therefore believe in working closely with all families, and in regular
consultation between the home and the school.

Aims and objectives
At Devonshire Infant School our aims are to:
enhance the learning experiences of all pupils;
encourage parents and carers to be involved in their childrens learning;
provide a partnership between home and school, seeking to ensure that families feel
valued and welcome;
ensure that maximum use is made of all these adults skills to enrich learning
opportunities.

Involvement in the life of the school
Our school is open to parents and carers from 8:40 until 8:55 each morning, and at other
reasonable times, to spend time in their childs classroom and to look at photographs of the
activities their children have been involved in. Families are invited to regular events,
activities and celebrations that are organised by the school. These occasions provide an
opportunity to celebrate success, and to look at the pupils' work. Regular newsletters are sent
home, and each family receives a copy of the school prospectus when their child starts
school.

Involvement in childrens learning
Parents and carers can talk with staff before and after school on an informal basis on most
days. Appointments to see a teacher can be made directly with them, and can be set up for as
soon as required in most instances. Appointments to see the headteacher can be made via the
office, or directly with the headteacher herself, who welcomes the children and their parents/
carers on the majority of mornings.
There are opportunities for parents and carers to have a formal discussion with their
child(ren)'s teacher each term. Teachers value these opportunities to celebrate successes,
review learning targets and listen to parental views.
An annual report on each child's academic and personal development is made available in the
Spring term. An acknowledgement slip is attached, and parents and carers are invited to
attend a meeting with the teacher to discuss the contents of the report if they wish to.
Curriculum workshops are organised to assist parents and carers in supporting their
child(ren)'s learning, and feedback taken from those attending to improve procedures further.
Policy documents, schemes of work and National Curriculum guidance are readily available
for parents/carers to view.
Reading logs are provided for all children, with the expectation that they will be completed
on a regular basis, and teachers will comment on childrens progress regularly following
guided reading sessions.



Types of help at school
We are very happy for parents and carers to offer their services at school. They are asked to
help with various activities (e.g. listening to children reading, or lending a hand with
activities of a practical nature).
Parents and carers offer valued support when they respond to invitations to accompany
school groups on educational visits and trips.
We readily support parents/carers involved in gaining qualifications by providing them with
placements within classrooms to gain appropriate practise and experience.
When appropriate, the governing body seeks parents who are willing to serve as members of
the school governing body. These are elected by other parents and carers.
We value the work of the Supporters 4 Devonshire group. This group of parents/carers and
governors works voluntarily to raise money for the school.

Organisational arrangements
It is necessary to organise a personal background check with the CRB (Criminal Records
Bureau) on any person who will be working with children in school, prior to that person's
involvement.
All volunteers are asked to sign in and sign out of school when visiting, for security reasons.
All volunteers working with children in class are asked to check the purpose and details of
the activity, before commencement, by talking with the teacher.
All volunteers are asked to inform the school, in advance if possible, should they be unable to
attend school at a prearranged time. All volunteers are reminded of the confidential nature of
their work in school, by the teacher with whom they are working. This is particularly
important when parents/carers are in the staffroom.

Consultation
Our home-school agreement, signed by pupils, parents/carers and the school, details the
responsibilities and expectations of all parties.
The school will make every effort to consult parents and carers, both formally and informally,
about their views on school life, children's learning and new initiatives.
Parents or carers of a child with a disability or medical condition are asked to keep the school
fully informed about any relevant issues, so that the school can make all reasonable efforts to
meet the requirements of that child.
The school values regular feedback, and will make every effort to act on parents' and carers'
views, wherever possible.
Teachers (including the headteacher) can be approached informally before and after school,
and will always take careful account of any information forwarded to them.
Periodically, the school will seek parental views more formally, through an annual survey, or
a questionnaire on a particular theme.
After an Ofsted inspection, parents and carers will receive a summary of the findings, and
pupils will receive a letter from the lead inspector.



Review
Policy agreed: April 2012

Ratified by governors:

Next review due: April 2015