Partnership Working with Parents and Carers

Here at Cheetwood we greatly value the contribution that parents/carers make to our school community. The commitment to developing positive partnerships with parents/carers runs through all aspects of school life and is considered to be a strength of the school.

Parental engagement provision includes subject specific and themed workshops, resources provided for parents/carers, information sent home about pupils and the school community and the support provided at key transition points. It also includes the lessons, trips, whole school events and celebrations that parents/carers are invited to attend.  Parents/carers are also provided with the opportunity to offer their views and opinions through an annual cycle of consultation activities linked to key issues and areas of school improvement.

Engagement starts from the initial stay and play sessions that are held in the EYFS and all parents/carers receive a home visit before their child joins our nursery. Parents/carers of pupils arriving outside of the usual transition times are also provided with a personalised admissions process.

In 2011 Cheetwood was one of the first schools in Manchester to receive accreditation through the Leading Parent Partnership Scheme (LPPA) and since then we have continued to develop the work that we do in this area, receiving re-accreditation for the award in 2014. The school has been a long standing member of the Parental Engagement Network (PEN) in Manchester and has been a regular contributor to network meetings, events and conferences. This has included developing and piloting resources and projects that support home learning. The school has also provided case studies of good practice to share at PEN conferences and provided training and support for other schools. Consultation with parents/carers plays a vital role in ensuring that their views are represented and used to inform school improvement, so every year there is a planned cycle of consultation activities. The school also consults with pupils using a variety of pupil voice activities.

School remained committed to maintaining close partnerships with parents during school closures resulting from the Covid 19 pandemic and support for families was adapted to include:

• Home learning packs and resources for all pupils
• A dedicated class email used to provide home learning activities and the opportunity for pupils to send in work and get individual feedback. The emails were monitored every day by class teachers and teaching assistants
• Regular updates on the school website
• A weekly call to all pupils from their class teacher with vulnerable learners receiving more frequent calls and access to personalised pastoral and learning support matched to their additional needs
• Access to activities and resources to promote physical health and wellbeing
• Home language support for pupils and their families
• Help and advice on e-safety including recommending safe, high quality online resources such as those provided by CEOP and the BBC
• Differentiated learning resources linked to individual learning plans for all pupils with additional needs and access to support from specialist teachers and services
• Regular contact and personal support from the school SENCO to ensure that SEN reviews, referrals, EHCP reviews and assessments all continued during school closures
• Providing advice and resources to help parents maintain structure and routine including bedtimes
• Offering specific advice on the practical, emotional and financial support available for families experiencing difficulties as a result of lockdown
• Referrals to support agencies to early help and signposting to food banks and other voluntary sector support

In September 2020 parents/carers were consulted about their experiences during this time. A report on this consultation is available at the bottom of this page

Ofsted has a Parent View survey available on its website and you can find this by clicking the link at the bottom of this page. In addition to this, school undertakes its own Parent View style survey in the autumn term and you can see the results of these surveys and some of our other consultations by clicking the links below.

Please take time to fill in the Parent View Survey on the Ofsted website.  You can find it by clicking on the link below.