As a school, we believe that developing good relationships with parents is key to the children having the best possible Primary School experience. We encourage parents to speak to us on a regular basis and would like to take this opportunity to remind parents/carers about the different ways we should be communicating together to ensure the best possible outcomes for your child(ren).

We run a parent working group which focuses on communication. All are welcome to attend these meetings. 

In January 2024 we held a survey to find out more about how parents felt the current communication level and standard was in order to ensure we continue to improve. 

Raising a concern

Inevitably, parents/carers need to raise concerns with the school at some time. No concern is too small if you are worried about it.

• Initially, all concerns need to be taken to your child’s class teacher or the school office. Our teachers and admin staff will always try and speak to all parents/carers raising a concern within 24 hours.

• If you are still concerned and do not feel like the concern has been resolved, then get back in touch again. We hope that all concerns are resolved in the first instance, however we do appreciate that sometimes despite our best efforts concerns cannot be resolved the first time around.

• If you are still concerned and are not happy with how a concern has been dealt with, then please contact the school to speak to Mr Dowling or Ms Taylor. We aim not to get to this stage however sometimes this is necessary and we will always strive to resolve any concerns you still may have.

Trust the team at Lugwardine.

We feel very privileged to be working with enthusiastic children, supportive parents and highly skilled staff. We understand that when your child is upset or worried about an incident at school, as a parent/carer your instinctive reaction is to respond immediately. The school recognises that sometimes it will inevitably make mistakes but ultimately the staff here truly care about your child(ren) and work incredibly hard to ensure they get the best educational experience possible. Please take the time to come into school to get all of the information that is needed. Often, other sources of communications can sometimes be misleading or inaccurate which is why we would urge every parent/carer that has a concern to come straight to the school directly so it can be dealt with swiftly and efficiently.

At Lugwardine School we place an emphasis on involving parents and carers in their child’s education because we know that by working together, we ensure the best possible outcomes for our children.

To achieve this, it is vital to have an effective way of information sharing between the school and parents.

Below find all the ways parents and school can communicate with each other.

Face-to-face 

The class teachers and SLT (the Senior Leadership Team) are approachable and accessible to parents. A member of the SLT is in the playground every morning to greet families – please come and speak to them if you have any questions, concerns or just for a friendly chat.

SLT comprises of Mr Stephen Dowling, Ms Angela Taylor and Miss Katie Bythell.

The staff member on the gate will happily take messages for class teachers. We need to know if someone different will be collecting them but it’s also good to know if something has happened overnight or during the weekend that may affect your child’s learning. If you would like a more confidential word, or to speak with the class teacher direct, we would encourage you to call the office before 8.30am or send an email in FAO the class teacher.

Of course, if something needs to be followed up and discussed in more detail then we encourage you to arrange a meeting so that we can give your concerns or comments the time and attention they deserve.  This is also the best way for parents who use the breakfast and after school clubs to communicate with their child’s teacher.

Emails

To arrange a meeting with a staff member, please email the office at admin@lugwardine.hereford.sch.uk

Your email will be passed on to the relevant staff member who will respond by email or phone. We aim to be in touch within two working days, depending on the urgency, but in rare circumstances, messages do get overlooked or lost so please chase if you don’t hear back from us. 

Meet the Teacher

We appreciate that you want to know your child’s teacher and be familiar with their classroom so at the start of each school year we invite you in to school to do this. It’s an opportunity to hear an overview of the exciting learning that’s planned for the year ahead and to share vital information around the curriculum, homework, PE, Forest School sessions and trips. We also operate the open afternoon on the day before term starts to provide children and families the opportunity to visit their classroom and meet the teacher in a relaxed environment.

Tapestry and DoJo

Throughout the school term you’ll be able to keep in touch with what you child is doing through online platforms where your child’s teacher will regularly upload photographs and information.

We use the Tapestry platform in the EYFS and DoJo for the rest of the school. These platforms also enable you to upload photographs and activities that your child has enjoyed at home so that we can share in your child’s explorations.

Newsletters

We pride ourselves on keeping in touch with our whole school community weekly through newsletters that we email to parents and post on our school website each Friday. These newsletters are a chance to highlight some of the learning that children throughout the school have been involved in, from celebrating a festival to going on a residential trip. It’s lovely to be able to share photographs of what your children and their peers are doing. They are also a chance to flag up any important information and diary dates.

Year Group Newsletters are also distributed to pupils during the first two week of each term and are uploaded onto the school website. These outline the specific curriculum that your child’s year group will be studying so that you can continue to support and engage with your child’s learning at home. We like to include linked activities that you can enjoy with your child which are embedded in the Knowledge Organisers. We will also flag up any specific events - from visitors to trips – that are happening that term.

Website Updates

Our school website holds a wealth of key information about life at Lugwardine Primary Academy: Home | Lugwardine Primary Academy

Here you can find information on our staff team, term dates, governance, compliments and complaints procedure, policies and much more. It is a great first port of call for any queries, especially if you have not been able to talk to a teacher or member of the SLT in person.

Social Media Updates

We like to post regular Facebook updates our page www.facebook.com/LPABartestreeHereford

Here we informally share the events and learning happening at school. We also use Facebook to update parents on school trips and post pictures of the children’s’ adventures to ensure parents feel included in their in their child’s experiences.

Parent Consultation Meetings

We hold these formal meetings two times a year. It’s your chance to have 10 minutes with your child’s teacher to discuss their progress and achievements. We talk about targets that have been set specifically for your child and the support that you can give at home to enable your child to achieve their potential. We understand that sometimes a 10 minute meeting is not enough and will arrange a follow up meeting in those instances.

Written Reports

During the summer term, you will receive a full written report with a commentary on your child’s progress in each curriculum area and overall attendance.

Year group Assemblies

Twice a year, each year group has the opportunity to perform a year group assembly. We love to be able to share them with the whole school and you too. Parents are invited in to watch these, usually on a Thursday from 08:50am.

Letters

We send paper letters home with children regarding educational visits and specific events. These often have return slips which we appreciate being returned to the class teacher. We will be transitioning onto electronic versions of these so keep an eye out for emailed letters and links to permissions.

Text

We use text messages when we need to quickly convey information to parents, such as if a club is cancelled, and for reminders of celebrations and other information. The attendance team may also text you if they are unable to contact you by a phone call.

Phone Calls

We will phone you if your child has been involved in an accident, such as bumping their head, or for other medical needs. Phone calls may also be made to parents if we need to report a serious behaviour concern or incident, or to follow up an email or face-to-face query. We will always try to leave a message if you’re unable to answer so that you do not feel worried about a missed call.

If you would like to discuss any points raised in this letter any further, then please do not hesitate to get in touch with us.