Parent Forum Feedback
Thank you to those parents who attended the forum on Monday night, or sent comments via other representatives. It is really positive to have this group established again and very helpful for us to hear all your views and suggestions.
Please note that any reference to ‘parents’ in the record of the forum below refers only to the small number of parents that were present. If your views are not represented here, please do consider going along to the next forum if you can, chatting informally with someone at school, or even popping us a quick email. Our annual survey should also provide a framework for you to contribute your views. All feedback helps!
| What the forum said School responses are in bold italics |
| WEBSITE – NAVIGATION An overview was given by Laura Alderson and parents were invited to share their responses. Parents said… 1. that a challenge they found was that they missed things. 2. only shows so many class pages – are the others archived? 3. they feel that it is difficult to navigate and it isn’t mobile friendly. 4. it was asked if the time spent on editing the website efficient? All points about challenges in navigation are noted – see below for action we are taking. Yes, each page archives older posts. Producing and editing communication using software (i.e. the website posts) is more efficient than working on documents. |
| WEBSITE – PICTURES 5. one parent raised that she felt that her child wasn’t featured as much as other children on the website. She questioned how wide spread the photos are? 6. do we need all the information and pictures that are on the website. We do not monitor the frequency of individual pupils appearing in posts. Please speak to your child’s class teacher if you would like this to be addressed. Our new weekly newsflash will reduce the number of photos posted (see below). |
| WEBSITE – ALTERNATIVES 7. one parent asked if it would be possible to have an ‘evidence me’ app per class. The majority of parents though this was a good idea. 8. one parent raised, on ‘evidence me’ – other children’s faces are blurred out but not on the website, why is this? 9. one parent suggested could we have a school Facebook page with upcoming deadlines and communication on it. We are unable to use a conventional school communication app (eg ‘evidence me’ or ‘class dojo’) like other schools might use, because of of the way they synchronise with information management software. We have explored this but no company can offer a solution that works for three schools. So, using the website to share ‘posts’ was an attempt to get regular information to parents in bite-sized chunks. However, we recognise that this doesn’t work as effectively within a website because posts are not pushed out to mobiles automatically – you have to go looking for them or be manually alerted. We blur faces on ‘evidence me’ in EYFS to focus the observation on the child whose parents are receiving it. This also helps with dynamic management of photograph-sharing: staff not having to cross check a list of pupils who do not have consent for photo sharing. We cannot be persuaded that social media, especially Facebook, is the most appropriate forum for communication about children. |
| WEBSITE – CALENDAR 10. one parent suggest positive of the website is that it links to the calendar and puts upcoming school events on the calendar. This is great – our new weekly newsflash (see below) will include a link to the calendar and will highlight this function to parents. |
| WEBSITE vs NEWSLETTER Parents were asked if they would like to make changes to the website or whether they would like something else? – all parents agreed that the newsletter would be better than the website in terms of place to collate information about the week etc. – parents really enjoyed the most recent newsletter and found this to be a great read. – one parent asked ‘if the website was being used effectively, would we have needed the email reminder today?’ Parents felt that the recent newsletter was fab! Really good to have all information in one easy read place. As communication is aimed at parents – it would be good to ask for parent’s feedback about how they feel it is best or receive the information ? Recently on website there was a note saying there would be an opportunity to feedback in September re: newsletter / website – this didn’t happen? It was suggested that it would be great to have ideally a weekly – or fortnightly newsletter? We have listened to all your feedback about the website. Thank you. We recognise the challenges that you have faced with finding information, and particularly understand that navigating to different areas means that you miss an overview of federation-wide activity that you might have previously had from a newsletter. We would like to avoid returning to a weekly / fortnightly PDF letter. However, we know that you (parents and families) are the main stakeholders with whom we need to communicate effectively, and so we need to get that right. We have made some changes to improve your experience: Starting this Friday, each week, all of our news will be presented all on one page (weekly ‘newsflash’), and you will be sent a link straight to it via email. News will include pictures and updates from all classes; there will no longer be separate news items on each class page so you will not have to navigate to different pages to see our weekly news. We look forward to gathering your views about this after a few weeks of trying it out. |
| EVENTS – one parent raised that she needs to know dates further in advance for the Christmas production to book work around this. – one parent raised that other schools set the date at October half term. Could we do this? – the parents fondly remembered one school play held at West Burton Village hall and appreciated the whole school being together for the performance. – some parents explained that they couldn’t see their children in the Harvest festival and that there were some concerns over the suitability of this venue for Harvest festival and Christmas production. – parents appreciated the church services and felt an important part of school life but felt the venue was not suitable for productions and special assemblies. Noted. We will endeavour to plan dates further ahead in future. Having heard the feedback about venues for various celebrations we will plan out our special occasions across the year and we accept what you are saying about poor visibility at some venues. It is important, in order to reflect the distinctiveness of our two church schools, that we engage regularly with our churches for worship, though we are also mindful that Askrigg is not a church school and we will redress the balance across the year. |
| HOMEWORK The Chair gave an overview of the developments with homework and the possible move to a more interactive format for parents / children. Parents suggested a move back to spellings to practise with children would be better than the use of SpellZone. Parents felt that the timer on SumDog created a pressured environment for children. The chair asked is the issue the online platform or would people prefer pen / paper better? One parent asked the question ‘why do we need homework at this age?’ One parent explained that she liked the interaction and parental support of spellings using pen and paper. Parents raised a question regarding ‘how often is homework checked by staff?’. Children report that it isn’t checked. One parent questioned whether the homework is differentiated to the child’s ability and needs. Thank you for your feedback on this which we agree with! We have discussed this as staff and are in the process of organising a return to paper homework, though this takes some planning to ensure that we choose the right resources. Regarding the quantity of homework – this is widely disputed amongst parents so very challenging to get right for everyone. Our aim is to provide enough homework to support learning but not to feel overwhelming: parents are encouraged to talk to their child’s class teacher if they are concerned. Homework should be checked by your child’s class teacher. It should be pitched at an appropriate level and accessible to every child. Please contact your child’s class teacher directly or Miss Harper if this is not the case. |
| BIKE TRACK / SPORTS EQUIPMENT A parent stated this was a great idea but raised a question: once completed will it be open for weekend use so children from all 3 schools can benefit? Another parent asked will children have the opportunity to attend after school cycling club at Bainbridge even if they study at another school? A parent asked about goal posts as they need replacing. It was suggested by another parent that this is something which could be asked of the PTFA. Yes, we would make it available to all children; probably the wider community too if we can make that work. This project is in the very early stages. More information on after-school cycling will be made available after Christmas. We endeavour to make all clubs available for all but there may need to be limitations on numbers. |
| SPACE AT WEST BURTON Parents expressed concern over the lack of space at West Burton for PE lessons and break / lunchtime and asked whether children could access the village green or the forest school field for break / lunchtimes and PE lessons. One parent asked whether PE lessons would always be in the village hall despite the weather – their child had told them this. In terms of safeguarding, we do not consider open play on the village green to be safe. It is very challenging to staff it sufficiently to mitigate the risks. We will work with our health and safety, and safeguarding advisers to determine the feasibility of outdoor PE certainly when the weather gets warmer. |
| SCHOOL MEALS Parents felt that their children came home hungry and they felt that the portions were small. Parents were asked for their opinions on this: parents did question whether older children were getting the larger portion size which is reflected of the increase pay as children get older. One parent asked do children have the options of seconds? Another parent suggested could children have access to unlimited bread to fill up on if still hungry after meals? One parent asked could children have access to a fruit bowl throughout the day? This is the first time that we have been aware of any dissatisfaction with the size of school meals. They are provided by NYCC caterers and portion control is very strict due to cost and is outside of our control. Sometimes there is seconds, but not always. The provision of unlimited bread and/or fruit would come at a cost. Please allow us some time to explore this. |
| UNIFORM One parent asked whether all uniform could move away from individual school logos and instead be replaced by a BAWB Federation logo so that clothes can be passed between children (siblings and other – to facilitate second hand)? All parents in attendance thought this was a good idea. Parents discussed the quality of school jumpers. It is felt that these are poor quality with parents stating that these shrank in the tumble dryer and changed colour. One parent questioned whether changing the logo could be an opportunity to find another supplier for a jumper. Noted. Thank you. We are now exploring new providers and that would seem a sensible time to remove the individual school name from the logo. |
| Y6 LEAVERS’ ASSEMBLY One parent felt that the year 6 leavers assembly in Church focused too much on religion as opposed to on the children and celebrating the children. Parents felt that the church service didn’t create a memorable experience for the children as it took the focus away from the children. It was felt that an end of term church service should be separate from the Year 6 leavers’ assembly. Please see above regarding services and special events. |
| FOREST SCHOOLS One parent asked if there could be Forest School afterschool / lunchtime club? One parent thought that forest school lunchtime sessions were meant to be moving around the 3 sites and asked if this is happening? We will look to pursue a Forest School after-school club. We aim to make Forest Schools available on our other sites; this is extremely challenging with staffing and curriculum pressures but we are aware of the issue. |
| SCHOOL PHOTOGRAPHS Parents felt that the quality of photos taken of their children were disappointing – the smiles did not seem natural. Parents question why do we need to use a big company could local photographer? Parents felt the photographs were expensive. A parent asked whether students will be having class photos? Clearer organisation needed on the morning of the photography –parents were told they could leave their children but large numbers were left outside with one staff member. Thank you for this feedback. Our previous photographer has sold his business and this was our first time with the new photographer. We could explore other options for the future. Yes, we alternate between class photos and individual/siblings. Children were all accounted for and registered as they waited outside, under supervision, for their onward bus. |
| Y6 LEAVERS’ FAYRE Year 6 raised around £460 a parent questioned how this money has been spent and suggested could a ‘buddy bench’ be bought with this and unveiled by last years Year 6? Thank you, yes, this money has been ring-fenced to purchase a buddy bench. |
| GREEN SCREEN Parents asked how the green screen is being used? One parent asked could the green screen be utilised with students perhaps for an after school club or for media studies sessions. It is not being used currently. I know this feels disappointing but we have no current staff capacity or expertise. |
| HOUSE SYSTEM / ASSEMBLIES Parents really value certificates, house points, celebration assemblies and house teams. Could pupil of the week be for the year rather than the class e.g. one for pre-school One parent raised that Otters never win the achievement award and that they seem quite deflated but did value the house teams. Parents really value being able to attend the celebration assembly and explained how impressed they were with the community feel and relish the chance to attend. I am glad they are appreciated and we always love inviting parents in to share our celebrations. We don’t fix it so that each house has an opportunity to win, but do monitor this over time. Each house has an equal number of children in it. It makes good sense to have a pupil of the week per year group, especially because combined classes are larger. This has been actioned from this week. Thank you. |
| PARENT FORUM Parents thanked the governors for the forum and explained they really value the opportunity to share ideas and thoughts. Parents asked how often could we have these parent forums – parents felt termly would be good and to move around the schools as the host. Thank you for the opportunity for us to hear your views. Termly seems to make good sense, rotating venues. |
