Communication Survey at Royd Nursery Infant

Many thanks to the Parent/Carers who took the time to complete our questionnaire about the communication and welcome you receive from school. We received 41 responses out of a possible 300+.

I have attached the responses below with some feedback from myself.

Question 1

You said

PDF Sent on Parentmail as have difficulty opening.More information about the destination of school trips.Too much paper- communication Wednesday??1 adult – never receive letter only way you find out is by word of mouth – need to check we have correct details for Parentmail.

We did

We will add more details about the destination including the location for school trips.I have considered having one day for communication in the past but it is unrealistic for us.

Royd Nursery Infant SchoolCarr Road, DeepcarSheffield, S36 2PRTel 0114 288 2594Email enquiries@royd.sheffield.sch.ukwww.roydnurseryinfants.co.ukHeadteacher: Louise Jones

Can the parent who responded that they don’t receive anything please contact school so we can investigate why – thank you.

Question 2

You said

Clarification of some details would be helpful.

We did

Head will be checking that future correspondence is always clear.

Question 3

You said

Breaking down information into what children will be doing and what getting out of it. Table format with bullet points like Stocksbridge Junior SchoolNot enough communication from teacher to parentUseful information given about phonics but other subjects not covered as thoroughly

We did

Will look into a table format in future correspondence. My Headteacher newsletter has a separate section with upcoming dates.We already have other information sessions planned for this academic year. These include a maths session, what your child will be learning in their next year of school (transition) as well as family learning sessions. We try not to bombard you with lots of information in the first term. The staff are also writing information leaflets for each subject that will be distributed/put on the school website.

Question 4

You Said

Not had the opportunity to meet any yet

We Did

This can depend on the individual teacher and whether you do drop offs and pick ups or if you work full time.

Question 5

You said

Paula and Lynn do an amazing job

We did

I agree!

Question 7

You said

Suggestion of having a 5 minute appointment with staff as never know when is a good time to talk similar to the settling in meeting in FS1.

We did

I cannot set up an additional session like this as it would end up being another parents evening. However, staff are so willing to meet to discuss anything regarding your child at school. Please ask to speak to them and we will organise a mutually convenient time, even if it is a telephone conversation

Question 8

You said

Query about agreeing over Parentpay- cannot print at home to give authorisationTapestry as a way of communicating – great.

We did

Parentmail has the option for you to provide consent online. This is recorded in the system and school is notified. There will be no need to print off the document at home.We also love tapestry but it is not available for key stage 1 pupils. However, Parentmail is quite similar. A Parent has been to see me about another system which we are going to look into.

Question 9

You said

Text reminders would be useful.

We did

They are great but they are also very expensive for the school. Parentmail will give you notifications similar to text messages if you have downloaded the app. This will not cost the school any additional money. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE download the App. We do issue texts when it is urgent.

You said

Tapestry as a way of communicating – can we sort letters out? Could acknowledge and school know we have received it - helpful if there is an important notice.

We did

When Parentmail is fully up and running it will provide notifications enabling us to check who has read and not read the communications that have been sent out. Great for chasing up responses we need.

You said

Children need to receive communications on the same day - football form class 6 did not give out as they were on a school trip. Some children might have missed out.

We did

I agree that all letters should be given out by all teachers on the same day. This has been discussed with the staff.

You said

Sign a letter or form online would be helpful

We did

This is a facility on Parentmail.

You said

Communications for child’s group is more for whole school (in 95% of cases) not always relevant to myself

We did

I can appreciate that not all letters are relevant to all children in FS1 (Nursery). However, as Nursery is part of the school I feel it necessary that Parent/Carers are aware of everything that is happening. All Parent/Carers receive the Headteacher

newsletter. There are additional year group newsletters sent out by Parentmail each week from the class teachers – these will be relevant.

You said

Office staff can be abrupt

We did

This has been discussed with the staff. The majority of feedback was extremely positive about the office staff who work incredibly hard.

You said

Schedule of events could be sent out, say every term. Depending where I am when I read individual letters will depend if I get to put an event onto the family calendar. If one document covered multiple events it would be useful to refer to.

We did

The Headteacher newsletter, which is sent out monthly, has all the upcoming events for all year groups on one sheet of paper. This newsletter is displayed in the Office window and on the school noticeboard near the blue gate. The school website also has a calendar which is always kept up to date with upcoming events for the term.

You said

Vlog/ videos of things happening at the school and activities the children are doing.

We did

Absolutely love this idea. Need to train the staff so we can share footage with Parent/Carers.

You said

Paperless method should simplify the process. Ability to pay for trips online most welcome.

We did

It is coming…

You said

More notice of events happening in school as often impossible for working parents to attend.

We did

All pre booked school events for the term are put onto our website page and notified via the Headteacher newsletter. Everything that is booked we say has to be 3 weeks at a minimum for Parent/Carers to be notified.

You said

Clarity of fund raising events and children missing out – one letter about the grotto

We did

This was rectified immediately by another letter being issued by school.

You said

Double check details on the letter – inconsistencies, omissions and inaccuracies.

We did

There were a few errors during the first few weeks of the term. I believe that this has now been rectified. There is now a system in place to check for inconsistencies. However we are human!

You said

Look at how to effectively engage full time working parents.

We did

It would be great to having a representative of working parents on the working party for Leading Parent Partnership Award (LPPA). If anyone is interested please get in touch.I work fulltime and I do understand. I do feel that we offer a range of activities over the year at different times and we always try to accommodate working parents with additional information to ensure they are aware of what has been missed. It is a fine balance as the staff work incredibly hard and the Senior Leadership Team (SLT) have to ensure that they have a work life balance.