The school engages with parents in a number of different ways, making good use of innovative electronic communications technology, but also providing plenty of regular opportunities for both formal and informal discussion and comment to take place.
The following list provides an overview of current practice. Some are applicable to secondary phase only, although most are whole school activities. This list may not be exhaustive as new initiatives are always under review and being introduced.
Meetings with Parents/Carers
- Regular Parents’ Evenings (dates are published in the Key Dates document on our website)
- Ad hoc meetings, planner notes and phone calls to discuss minor issues
- Parent training evenings/information sessions (e.g. Year 11 Parents’ Study Evening & Year 7 Helping your child to Read)
- Information meetings for parents of new starters, including a ‘show around’ evening for parents of new Year 7 children
- Options evenings for Year 9 and Year 11
- UCAS advice evening
- Formal and informal one-to-one meetings with parents to discuss lack of progress or behaviour issues
- Informal Parents' Forums (without agenda), at least one per term or more frequently, if required
- Parents have access to the school’s Complaints procedure to help resolve problems which cannot be resolved informally
Electronic Communications
- Email
- InTouch – text and email messages, and your child's latest assessment/report sent to you by email
- School website – contains a wealth of news and information helpful to parents
- School newsletters - all available for parents and carers on the website
Written Communications with Home
- Written reports and assessments in hard copy if required and on request
- Student planners – to be signed by parents every week and used for brief message passing (for example reasons why a child could not complete a piece of homework)
- Letters about educational visits and events
- Letters from parents to school
Consulting Parents
- Parents are consulted as part of the formal consultation process with regard to our Admissions Policy, and they are invited to comment upon any changes proposed by the school
- Parental surveys are conducted with regard to specific issues e.g. uniform, transition from primary to secondary
- Parental surveys are conducted during Parents’ Evenings in order to gauge levels of concern/ satisfaction with school
Parental Involvement Policy
We always welcome any suggestions from parents/carers about any matters of general interest which they feel would improve the experience of all children at the school. It may be a very small simple idea or it could be something which could lead to a much larger initiative.
If you would like to put an idea forward, please do so in writing by handing your suggestion in at school reception in an envelope marked 'Suggestion Box'. We would then hope to get together all interested parties, including as many parents/carers as possible, to thoroughly discuss the suggestion, and, if feasible, to put it into practice.
We do already do a great deal to talk to and advise parents/carers, giving them as much information as we can about their child's school life. There will always be other ideas which we may not yet have thought of and we really want to hear from YOU!
Many parents tell us that one of the things they value most highly about their child attending William Hulme's is the caring family relationship which parents/carers and our pupils feel with the school.
At the school, we firmly believe that the key to your child’s success and well-being is a partnership between school and home. There is a wealth of talent, energy and expertise amongst the many parents and carers of pupils at this school, who would welcome the chance to be more involved in the life of their child’s school.
We hope to be able to build a database of parents/carers who would like to offer their time and expertise to the school to continue to enhance the excellent educational and extra-curricular opportunities which make WHGS such a unique school. For example:
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Do you have a profession which would enable you to offer practical advice and experience to our older students?
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Do you have a hobby or skill which you could offer to share as an extra-curricular activity?
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Are you able to offer practical help at school productions?
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Could you help with second hand uniform sales?
These are just a few examples of the many ways in which you as parents and carers may be able to offer your skills to the school community – but we are sure that you can think of many, many more!
If you can help, just let us know!
Social and Extra-Curricular Connections
- Secondary Phase and Sixth Form Open Evenings and Primary Open Afternoons - for prospective applicants
- Social events e.g. Christmas Concert
- Celebratory events e.g. Presentation Evening
- English lessons for adults who do not have English as their first language
- Informal Parents' Forums (without agenda), at least one per term or more frequently, if required
- Parents' Association.
In the Primary Phase
- Primary Phase Friday Assembly – parents may attend.
- Family Literacy for Parents of EYFS and Year 1 - takes place on a Wednesday afternoons and Friday mornings.
- Family Numeracy for Parents of EYFS and KS1 - runs in the Spring term.
- Managing Behaviour for all Primary Phase parents - runs in the Summer term.
- Time Management for Parents.
- SALT Workshops for EYFS.
- Child First Aid for Parents of Primary Phase pupils.
- Themed Coffee Mornings - with 15 min slots from teachers on topics, such as the School Behaviour Management System or Routines of the Day, etc.
Parental Questionnaire Analysis (October 2017-18)
Parental Questionnaire Analysis (October 2018-19)