The aims of this policy are as follows:

To develop communication between staff and parents.

To ensure consistency throughout the school.

Each Early Years child at the King´s College Murcia is issued a blue contact book with open pages, all other years will be issued a more detailed planner.  This is given at the start of a new academic year or during the induction for new starters throughout the year.

The contact book/planner is a means of regular communication between the class teacher and parents/guardians of the child.  It should be used by the class teacher for a minimum of once per week and as incidents and issues arise.  The types of communication recommended by this policy are as follows:

  • A copy of the class timetable and homework timetable should be glued/written into the contact book/planner.
  • Any homework to be sent home needs to be written in the contact book/planner, either by the child or the teacher, depending on the child´s age.
  • Any discipline that has been administered, such as a detention, needs to be reported in the contact book/planner as well as on the claSS system.
  • Weekly a target should be set in the contact book/planner for each child that supports the work that is done in class.
  • Any appointments between staff and parents/guardians, need to be negotiated through the contact book/planner.
  • The contact book should be signed by the class teacher and the parents at the end of each week.
  • Communication should be meaningful and designed to ensure the child moves forward with academic, social and all round progress.

Notes:

If communication between a member of staff and the parents/guardians is of a sensitive nature, (child protection/SEN), this needs to be written on letter headed paper before being sent home with the child before being stapled into the contact book.  The CP and SEN team can support staff with this.

When a document needs translation, a minimum of two days is required due to time constraints on the relevant members of staff.

If a child communicates with staff verbally- for example they are not on the bus- it should be followed up with the administration team and must not be taken at face value.  If necessary the administration team will contact the parents directly; therefore direct communication with parents is vital.

N.B. Please note that the use of these documents will vary according to age of the child.  As children go up through the school we will encourage them to take more and more responsibility.

May 2011.