When it comes to sending your children to school it can often be a daunting experience for many parents. Essentially, you are leaving your little ones in the care of people you may have had only a few short conversations with. An environment that you looked around while being directed by a headteacher. A school where you have read a report from Ofsted about how they are doing. No matter whether it is your first or not, primary or secondary school, school is a fresh chapter for everyone and something you all have to get used to.
While you may be happy with everything they do academically, sometimes you need to communicate certain things. There are a variety of reasons as to why you might need to communicate with a school, but you may not be 100% on how you go about it. The correct channels, contacts, and also your approach. So here is everything you need to know to help you communicate with your child’s school.
Reasons you might need to communicate
There are a variety of reasons why you might need to communicate with your child’s school. I wanted to share a few of them with you:
- Communication over homework
- Discussions of concerns raised with your child
- School reports
- Changes in the home environment
- Changes youhave noticed within your child
- Where your child is up to and what you might be able to do to help
- Any complaint or concern you might have
Of course, there can be other reasons to talk to your child’s school. The main thing to remember is there is no wrong reason to open up a line of communication.
How to communicate with your child’s school
One of the first things to figure out would be how to communicate with your child’s school. There can be many different options. Some people prefer to voice their concerns whereas others feel they can get their point across through writing it down. Here are a few different methods you could try and when they may be appropriate.
Phone call
For something quick and straight to the point you have the phone call which can often be the best port of call. A phone call can give you an answer straight away and is ideal if you need to make changes or have any particular enquiries.
Face to face
While you may be happy with a phone call, sometimes face-to-face communication can be a great option. This is ideal if you have any concerns about your child and want to speak with a teacher directly, rather than going through a school receptionist. In some cases, this might need to be booked in, so you may need to start with a phone call to get to this stage.
Another option that gives you a chance to have copies and a paper trail is an email. You can send this to various different people at the same time and gives you a chance to voice any concerns or issues you might have methodically. We all know that our emotions can run high when it comes to our children, so this gives you a chance to share your views without letting the emotion take over.
Letter
Lastly, a letter can be an option as it is similar to an email but it can take longer to get a response back.
Who to speak to
While you may have your preferred method of getting hold of your child’s school, who to speak to might be another story. So here are a couple of points of contact. Some will be more relevant depending on what your enquiry is.
Child’s teacher
Your child’s teacher is often your first port of call. They can handle any enquiry you may have in relation to your child and are often in the best position to answer any questions. If you have any complaints or issues you want to raise sharing with your child’s teacher can also be a great place to start.
Headteacher
The headteacher would be the person you would go to if you had any issues with your teacher or the school generally. They would be the best point of contact to try and resolve any matters, especially if you haven’t been satisfied with any previous communication you have attempted.
Head of Governors
Finally, the last port of call would be the head of governors. You would email or write a letter to them to express any issues you have with the school specifically. This would also be an option if you still haven’t been satisfied with the school’s response to your recent communication.
Hopefully, this has made you more aware of how to communicate with your child’s school.