Parents' Communication and Email Guidance
Our academies recognise that parents play a crucial role in supporting their children’s learning and that strong partnerships impact positively on children’s outcomes. Effective dialogue between parents and school is a continuing priority for all at Dosthill.
Here is a summary of the full document attached below.
- Effective dialogue between parents and school is a continuing priority for all.
- Staff and parents are expected to adhere to this approach to encourage a positive partnership.
- Parent representatives have been consulted in relation to this.
- When contacting teachers by telephone, please use the school number to leave a message to contact you.
- Office staff will give messages to teachers as soon as possible.
- If urgent, tell office staff who will see if a senior member of staff is available – they may not be immediately.
- If not urgent, we will respond to you within three working days, if not the same day.
- Lessons will not be interrupted for teachers to take calls.
- When emailing, use our school office email address (firstname.lastname@example.org) – even if you know the staff member’s direct email address.
- The school office will then forward your email to the appropriate member of staff.
- Include within your communication the name of the teacher (or member of staff) and the name of your child in the subject line (e.g., FAO Mr Shakeshaft, 6S, re: My Child)
- If communicating by email staff will answer parental queries at the earliest opportunity - but most of our teachers’ time is taken up teaching and preparing for lessons.
- Teachers’ responsibilities extend beyond the classroom, they may not respond to you on the day a query is made.
- Staff are not expected to look at emails before 8.00am or after 6.00pm on working days, or at all over the weekend.
- If appropriate, staff will activate their ‘out-of-office’ notification when away for an extended period i.e., more than 5 working days.
- Staff will check their email accounts regularly throughout the working week.
- Staff may not answer outside the agreed period from 8.00am-6.00pm or over a weekend - there is no expectation on staff to respond to queries during their personal/family time.
- If a member of staff responds from their school email address, only use that address for the duration of the exchange – not for new queries.
- If a member of staff contacts you from a different email address (not ending @dosthill.org) about school business, report it immediately.
- We regularly use Social Media platforms (Twitter / Facebook) to share pupil achievements, Trust / Academy news, and other information – please be respectful when responding to these forms of communication.