At Priory we understand that family life can be very complex and we aim to work positively with parents and carers to support the emotional wellbeing of all of our pupils and their families.

 We will do this by:

• Having an open door policy through which parents and carers can speak to key staff to share concerns, update on family situations or changes of circumstance
• Signposting families to external agencies who may be able to help
• Supporting children’s emotional wellbeing through our pastoral care process
• Liaising with external agencies to ensure the right support is in place if needed
• Providing school information to each parent/carer separately where that is requested e.g. end of year report, invitation to attend parent consultations, newsletters, specific updates on academic attainment, attitude to learning etc

We believe that where possible, it is vital for all parties to work together to ensure that the child’s wellbeing is given the highest priority. We do acknowledge however that within split families there can be difficult relationships and tensions and we will do our best to treat these situations sensitively.

Parents and carers are asked to note that it is not appropriate to ask staff at school for information about the other parent/carer, or to ask school to pass messages on. Also, any incidents of parental conflict escalating on the school site must be avoided. Section 547 of the Education Act prohibits members of the public from causing a nuisance on a school site. Confrontational behaviour will be classed as such and parents who display such behaviour risk the police being called and being banned from entering the school site.

If there are any safeguarding concerns, please speak to one of our Safeguarding Leads, or refer directly to Children’s Social Care.

April 2024