Staff Communication Policy

Aim:

To have clear and effective communication between staff and with students, parents/carers, governors, and members of the wider school community.

To ensure that communications between all members of the school community are clear, professional, timely and appropriate

Objectives:

All communications at Crowdys Hill School should:

  • Keep staff, parent/carers and other stakeholders well informed
  • Be honest, open, ethical and professional
  • Use jargon free English and be easily understood by all
  • Be responded to as swiftly as possible
  • Use the method of communication most effective and appropriate to the context, method and audience
  • Take account of relevant school policies e.g. Equal Opportunities

Attached information for implementation of policy:

  • Communication with colleagues
  • Communication with parent/carers and other stakeholders
  • Social Networking Sites/Blogs
  • Home / school communication
  • Child Protection
  • Confidentiality
  • Breaches of communication policy

Review

Every 4 years

Signed: …………………………………………………………………………………………… Headteacher

Signed: …………………………………………………………………………………………….. Chair of Governors

Review date:Feb 2017

Communication with colleagues at CHS

Meetings

  • There is a programme of meetings set out on the school calendar and/or termly meeting schedule.
  • All formal meetings should be minuted.
  • It is important that time is set aside for structured opportunities for staff to engage in team working and to contribute to the department’s reflection on priorities, activities and future plans. (This is reflected within the existing meeting schedules.)
  • For all formal meetings, notes should be taken, action points progressed and feedback given to staff.
  • Minutes of meetings should be copied to relevant personnel.
  • Meetings should not be held merely because they are calendared – if there are insufficient issues to justify a meeting it should either be cancelled or reduced to an appropriate timespan to address the matter/s raised.

E-mail

  • The school will give all teaching staff their own email account to use for all school business – the school is happy to extend this to Teaching and Learning Assistants if they would find this helpful.
  • Email can be an efficient way of communicating with colleagues and passing on information, however, it should not be used as a substitute for face to face contact and staff must consider whether it is the best way to communicate in each situation.
  • Lengthy e-mail trails to resolve issues that would be better discussed face-to-face are unhelpful to the well-being of sender or recipient.
  • It is important to remember that e-mails can sometimes appear more abrupt than the sender intends. It is therefore important for each of us to proof read our own e-mails before sending. When doing this we should contemplate how we would feel if we were to be the recipient of the e-mail message.
  • Where a colleague feels internal e-mail messages are unduly hostile or that face-to-face communication would be preferable, they should first raise it with the sender directly. If as an e-mail sender we feel the recipient has a point, it is beholding on us to acknowledge this, and conversely for the recipient to accept that acknowledgement in the spirit in which it is offered. If however concerns continue this should be raised directly with the headteacher who will endeavour to broker an agreeable outcome. If the source of concern is the Headteacher this concern could be raised via a professional association; a staff governor or the chair of governors.

Staff should ensure that:-

  • They do check their e-mails regularly – although major communication should always be written or face to face. This is because some colleagues cannot easily access their e-mails during the working day.
  • They do not engage in private/personal correspondence with a student or students. (This includes texting and Media messaging e.g. MSN Messenger.)
  • Under no circumstances should staff contact students, parent/carers or conduct any school business using personal email addresses.
  • The sending of attachments should be limited.
  • The sending of chain letters is not permitted.
  • Embedding adverts is not allowed.

Written communications

These are placed in pigeon holes in the staff room, which staff should check on a daily basis. Phone messages taken by office staff will also be placed in pigeon holes except in cases of emergency. Written communication should have a date and offer identification of the sender.

Daily Staff Briefings

Staff Briefings take place at 8.50 a.m. each day. Notes summarising the briefing are placed on the staff noticeboard. Copies of the first draft of staff briefing are issued to staff on duty so that they are aware of key issues.

Weekly Briefing Sheet

There is also a weekly briefing sheet, which is sent to colleagues electronically with another copy placed on the staff noticeboard.

Staff Handbook

An electronic copy is given to every member of staff. It is updated at least annually. This handbook contains essential information for staff.

Notice boards

Staff notice boards are located in the staff room. These are maintained and updated by relevant staff. Trade unions will also be given notice board space within the staff room.

Communication with parent/carers and other important stakeholders

At CHS we aim to have clear, effective communications with all parent/carers and the wider community. Effective communications enable us to share our aims and values, through keeping parents/carers well informed about school life. This reinforces the important role that parent/carers play in supporting the school.

Whilst staff will always seek to establish open and friendly relationships with parents/carers, it is appropriate that relationships are professional and parent/carers are addressed in a formal manner.

CHS aims to make our written communication as accessible and inclusive as possible. We seek to avoid bias, stereotyping or any form of discrimination. Indeed, we wish to celebrate the contributions made to our society by all the groups represented in our school. All letters and forms MUST be approved by a senior member of staff, before being sent or handed out. All written communication must also show our corporate information and therefore be checked by a member of the administration team.

Letters

Staff will endeavour to reply to parent/carers’ letters as quickly as possible. Letters will be acknowledged in 3 working days and a reply sent within 10 working days. Letters must be approved by Headteacher, deputy or bursar before posting. Copies of correspondence vis-à-vis trips should also be passed to Hazel Tuck so that she can respond to telephone calls on trip timings.

E-Mail

  • Email is a quick, effective way of communicating information however it does not replace face to face meetings where some discussion is required.
  • All e-mail should be treated as letters and should be checked carefully by senior members of staff prior to sending. Staff should acknowledge e-mail as they would a letter, within 3 working days and send a full reply within 10 working days.
  • Under no circumstances should e-mails be used to send confidential student information or other confidential information that would be damaging if the e-mail were intercepted. Confidential information needs to be passed to Sandra Backhouse who will arrange for it to be sent via S2S (a local secure server) and/or winzip (where this is appropriate).
  • Staff sending emails to external organisations or parent/carers must cc. to your line manager in the first instance. The only exception to this is where e-mail is used as a substitute for a home-school diary – as an aide, this should always be agreed with parents/carers first. However, in this instance where a matter of concern might occur an e-mail to line manager would be appropriate.
  • Under no circumstances should staff contact students, parent/carers or conduct any school business using personal email addresses.
  • When communicating by e-mail with other organisations it is important that we are sensitive to the demands of their role and any pressure points they might have. Overly persistent e-mailing or telephoning can be counter-productive and lead to the school suffering reputational damage.

Telephone calls

  • Where the telephone call is over a low level issue then notes of call are not required. If the call is likely to invoke a response call please alert Hazel Tuck, or whoever is on duty front of house, so that she is aware which colleague the caller wishes to speak to.
  • Staff should though take notes about the content of telephone calls that might require follow up action or prove a potential source of concern in the future. Such notes from telephone calls, including main points of discussion and action required/taken should be kept on student files.
  • Where a telephone call raises a Child Protection issue notes of this must not be placed on the student file but handed to the school’s Child Protection co-ordinator. It is important if a Child Protection issue is raised that you note this and pass it to the school’s Child Protection Co-ordinator as a matter of urgency. You should not engage in any dialogue on the issue with the parent/carer – it is not your role to investigate a Child Protection issue.
  • Under no circumstances should staff make telephone calls pertaining to Child Protection issues – they must always refer the matter to the Child Protection co-ordinator who will liaise with appropriate external agencies.

Meeting with parent/carers

  • Any parent/carer wishing to meet with a member of staff should contact the school in advance and request a meeting with the member of staff. This request should be responded to within the usual communications protocols and in a timely manner.
  • If a parent/carer comes to the school without a prior appointment, the member of staff may still choose to meet with them, but there is a risk they will be unable to do so due to other commitments.
  • Parent/carers (like all visitors) should report to reception prior to meeting with a member of staff. If the meeting is due to take place outside office hours, separate arrangements can be made.
  • A member of staff may ask for their line manager to accompany them where they feel ill equipped to handle the conversation or are fearful of their personal well-being.
  • If a meeting with a parent/carer is taking place outside normal school hours, the member of staff should try, where possible, to ensure that another colleague is nearby
  • It is perfectly acceptable to call a meeting to a close in order to allow time for further investigation. Staff should also call a meeting to a close in the event of the parent/carer becoming angry or abusive. The member of staff should report such an incident to their line manager and seek further advice. The line manager should either accompany the member of staff to a further meeting with the parent/carer or hold it without the original member of staff present.

Annual Reviews of Statement

Form tutors will often chair annual reviews of their tutees. These are important meetings and offer parents/carers the chance to get a detailed insight into their son or daughter’s progress and to contribute to discussion on their future needs. The following key points are important when chairing an annual review:

  • At the start of the annual review meeting ensure you complete introductions.
  • The initial stages of the annual review is likely to involve the checking of factual data. This offers a chance for people to settle in to the meeting.
  • The meeting will then move into the review format regarding needs, progress, current provision, parent/carer views, student views and future provision needs. If during these discussions the meeting starts to get repetitive the person chairing should paraphrase what has been discussed thus far and then ask others if there are any issues that they have missed.
  • Ensure you take the time to get feedback from parent/carers and student during the review meeting.
  • At the end of the review summarise the future actions and recommendations. Again offer those attending the chance to raise points that may have been missed.
  • Close the meeting by thanking all those who have attended the review for their contribution.

Social Networking Sites/Blogs etc

  • Staff will not communicate with parent/carers or students via social networking sites or accept them as their “friends”. The exception is networks or blogs set up specifically for the purpose of teaching and learning.
  • There may be rare occasions where family friendships pre-date the family’s involvement with the school. Where this is the case colleagues should alert the Headteacher so that s/he is aware of the background. Under these rare circumstances the above rule may be waived for a specific individual case. Similarly colleagues might use social media or e-mails to communicate with a family if working in another role outside their school contract, i.e. employed by another agency to provide family support/respite. Under these circumstances the Headteacher should be alerted in advance.
  • Where staff use Social Networking Sites/Blogs it is important that they do not make comments in public forum that would do reputational damage to the school or colleagues. They should also not make comments that might be deemed either critical or insensitive to the feelings of other members of the school community. (This issue is covered in detail in the staff handbook in the Guidelines for Safe Working.)

Home visits

  • The school has appointed a Pastoral Support Manger who undertakes home-visits where appropriate. It should therefore be rare for other colleagues to undertake such visits. Where they need to it is imperative this is discussed with the Headteacher so that they can vouch that the visit is undertaken with their backing. This provides additional protection for the member of staff undertaking such a visit as it indicates that they have followed agreed procedure.

Written reports

  • At least once a year a full written report is sent to parents on their son or daughter’s progress in each subject. The report identifies areas of strength and areas for further development.
  • In addition parents meet their child’s subject teachers at least once a year, at parents evening.
  • In both these instances it is important that the parent/carer hears about the student’s strength and development areas. It is imperative that we are sensitive to the parent/carer need to have some positive feedback as this will, in most instances, make them more receptive when we discuss development needs – particularly around poor behaviour or attitude to learning. One strategy for doing this is the “sandwich model” which is: part one – positive aspects; part two – constructive concerns and part three another positive aspect.

School Prospectus

The school prospectus contains a range of specified information to give parent/carers a full picture of provision at CHS. This is updated every year. The prospectus information is also available on the school website.

School Website

The school website provides information about the school and an opportunity to promote the school to a wider audience. It also has a regularly updated area for information for current parent/carers.

Public Access Documents

Curriculum information, key policies, an outline of our use of the pupil premium funding and copies of recent letters will be available on the school website.

Home-school Communication

  • A calendar of school events is available on the website.
  • The school’s newsletter is published termly and is sent to all parent/carers. It is also available on the school website. Members of the school are encouraged to contribute appropriate items to the newsletter which should be e-mailed to the Headteacher.
  • We encourage parent/carers to contact the school if issues arise regarding their son/daughter’s progress or well-being. For everyday issues parent/carers should be directed to their son/daughter’s form tutor. If there are specific subject problems, parent/carers should be directed to the subject teacher, or the subject leader. For issues that are persistent or serious then parent/carers should contact the Headteacher or a deputy/senior team member.
  • There will be Family Forum every term to discuss current issues of importance to parent/carers and other family members.
  • Meetings are held prior to any residential trip to inform parent/carers of planning, content and arrangements.
  • A meeting for new parent/carers is held in July each year. Additional meetings include a Year 7 Settling in Evening at the end of term one.
  • If a child is absent from school and we have no indication of the reason, the member of the administration team overseeing attendance will contact a parent/carer on the same day, to find out the reason for the absence.

Communication with other schools and outside agencies

  • Before joining Year 7, students are visited in their primary schools to support their transition to CHS.
  • Students will also have access to an induction day at the school prior to transfer and parents/carers to an evening where they will meet the staff working with their son/daughter.
  • Close liaison occurs with post 16 providers – this includes sharing information, as appropriate, and attendance at relevant meetings. Parents/carers will also be invited to an annual review in terms 1 or 2 of year 11.

Child Protection

  • We are supported and regularly communicate with various agencies and groups of professionals who keep us informed on ways to meet students’ needs to ensure that students can participate fully. Support comes from such services as Education Welfare, Educational Psychologists, Social Care etc.
  • We recognise that children have a fundamental right to be protected from harm, that their protection is a shared responsibility, and that our school should provide a safe and secure environment.
  • We are the people most in contact with our children, and we are therefore in a unique position to identify and help abused children. So when any member of staff has concerns about a child, these will be passed on to the Child Protection co-ordinator, who may share this information with the Social Services and/or other appropriate agencies. (See Child Protection Policy).

The media