Working with Parents and Carers

We are committed to developing a strong partnership with parents so that we work together to meet pupils' needs. We do this by communicating regularly with parents/carers in the following ways:

Parents are sent half termly newsletters, which outline the main events of the previous weeks, forthcoming events and any school news.

All parents have the opportunity to meet with staff to discuss their child's progress towards the end of every term. An important part of these meetings is a discussion with parents on how well they feel their child is working towards the targets set out in their Individual Education Plans (lEPs).

All parents are invited to an annual review of the progress their children are making towards the objectives on their statement of special educational needs.

We hold regular parents' 'drop-in' sessions where we invite speakers to lead discussions on important topics for parents and carers.

At the end of the summer term all parents of primary and secondary aged pupils receive an end of year progress report (called a Summary of Achievement). This is discussed at the end of year parents' meeting.

Home Learning

Pupils in the secondary department each have a homework timetable to follow. Homework is given almost every night and tasks are entered into pupils' homework diaries. Parents are expected to support their child's learning at home.

Parents of primary aged pupils receive an information sheet al the beginning of each half term giving a brief outline of areas to be covered in all curriculum subjects during that half term period.

Home learning forms an important part of the work going on in the primary department. This not only involves parents reading with their children at home but also completing other tasks based on the child's classwork. Each half term parents receive a booklet identifying specific targets for numeracy which children will be working on at home. In the primary department regular contact is maintained with parents using a Home School Diary. This enables parents and teachers to communicate on a daily or weekly basis and for important information to be exchanged.

Family Learning

As part of our policy to extend the role of the school we hold Family Learning events including workshops on the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies and course on literacy and numeracy skills for parents and carers and how they can support their children's learning.

Evening Events

There are a number of additional events for parents of pupils in the Secondary Department. Parents of pupils in Year 9 are asked to attend transitional reviews in the Spring Term to plan for courses which might be appropriate during Years 10 and 11 and for their child's education beyond school leaving age at 16.

There are termly social events to which the parents are invited. These include discos, quiz nights and barbecues.

Parents are kept informed of any other events during the school year which they may wish to attend. Great emphasis is placed on the end of term Achievement Assemblies These are held on the last morning of term and are a celebration of pupils' achievements throughout the term. The Christmas assembly includes the presentation of GCSE certificates to the previous Year 11 students.

Parents are always welcome to phone the school to make appointments with any of the staff to discuss any concerns they have. We welcome parents' comments and suggestions. The governing body includes five parent governors who can be contacted through the school office.

The Induction of Year 7 Pupils

For pupils moving up from our primary department there is a programme of induction involving being taught by secondary staff, visits to the secondary classes and the opportunity for secondary staff to see them learning in their own class. Pupils entering the school at the start of Year 7 spend a day in school in early July to meet their new classmates and gain an insight into life at Brent Knoll. Early in the first term at Brent Knoll we offer Year 7 pupils the opportunity to take part in a residential school journey at an outdoor activity centre. The aim is to involve the pupils in a range of activities and bring them together as a group.

In order to ensure the transition from primary school to the secondary department is as smooth as possible we have recently introduced a transitional curriculum arrangement for Year 7 pupils in which they are taught a core curriculum by one class teacher in their own base classroom. They then move to specialist teaching areas to be taught subjects such as art, design technology and information technology by specialist teachers.