Parents and Carers communicating with staff
We value the importance a positive relationship between school and home has in a child’s education and development. At the heart of this relationship is open, positive communication built on mutual trust and respect. To ensure communication is as effective as possible, we have outlined key guidelines below.
As a school, we will communicate with all stakeholders in a respectful and professional manner. We kindly ask that any communication with the school reflects these same standards.
Guidelines for communication with school (excluding safeguarding)
For everyday practical matters, such as changes to pick-up arrangements, informing us of an injury, or reporting your child’s illness, please contact the school office directly via email or phone. This ensures your message is addressed promptly, as teachers may not always have the opportunity to check their emails during the busy school day. For other types of communication, please follow the steps outlined below.
Step 1: Your child’s class teacher
Your child’s class teacher should be your first point of contact for any queries or concerns. They work with your child daily and are best equipped to address questions about learning, well-being, or day-to-day matters.
How to Contact:
- Email: Teachers’ email addresses are listed on the School Website – contact us page.
- Response Time: Please allow up to three working days for a reply between the hours of 8am-5:30pm. If you do not receive a response within this time, contact the school office to confirm your email was received.
- Meetings: To request a phone call or face-to-face meeting, email the teacher directly or email the school office. Meetings will be scheduled at the earliest, convenient opportunity.
Step 2: Your child's phase leader
If your query is not resolved after speaking with the class teacher, the next step is to contact your child’s Phase Leader. Phase Leaders are class-based teachers who sit on the senior leadership team. Phase leaders at Cuddington are as follows:
Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) for Nursery and Reception; Phase 1 for Years 1 to 3; and Phase 2 for Years 4 to 6.
You can contact Phase Leaders by emailing them directly or through the school office. Details of Phase Leaders can be found on the school website, contact us page.
Step 3: A member of non-class based senior leader team.
If the class teacher and Phase Leader are unable to resolve your concern, you may escalate your query to a member of the Senior Leadership Team (SLT). The SLT includes the Inclusion Leader, Deputy Head, Head of School, and Executive Head.
To contact a member of the SLT, please email the school office, and your message will be directed to the appropriate person.
Further Escalation
The above guidelines work alongside our complaints policy. If your concern remains unresolved after following these steps, you may wish to refer to our Complaints Policy, which is available on the school website in the GLF policy section.
Important Note
Unfortunately, due to the demands and busy nature of the school day, we are unable to accommodate immediate meeting requests from parents or carers. However, exceptions will be made for serious safeguarding concerns.
Communication for Safeguarding concerns
- For any safeguarding concerns please ring the school office and ask to speak to one of our designated safeguarding leads or go directly to our safeguarding team via the dsl@cuddingtoncroft.org
- For more information please read our safeguarding policy
Communication with school regarding an incident at school
Throughout their school life, children will encounter moments of challenge, conflict, and disappointment. At Cuddington, we work proactively to address these moments in a way that ensures all children feel listened to and supported.
To help children navigate these experiences, we have a curriculum in place designed to equip them with the skills to de-escalate the situation, speak openly with an adult and build the emotional resilience to cope. These are crucial life skills that children develop during their primary school years and it is important that all adults, both at school and at home, model these skills. We aim to communicate any significant incidents involving conflict, challenge, or disappointment to all stakeholders in a timely manner. However, we may not report every incident to parents and carers.
Bullying and discriminatory behaviour are never tolerated at Cuddington. We have clear procedures in place to address such incidents effectively.
If you have any concerns, please contact your child’s class teacher following the communication process outlined above.
Additional information can be found in our Behaviour Policy and Anti-Bullying Policy, which are available on the school website.
Communication with school regarding whole school decisions and policy
We value feedback from parents. Across the school year, we will undertake a general parent voice questionnaire and may also seek parent voice on specific whole school changes e.g. potential changes on the school uniform.
We make whole school decisions based on our expertise, research, parent voice, pupil voice, but, most importantly, what is best for our children at Cuddington. There may be times when you disagree with decisions or practices in place. If this is the case, we firstly ask you to trust us in the decisions that we have made, as they will not have been made lightly and have been made in the collective best interest of the children. If you do need to communicate with us on whole school policy or decision making, then please contact our school office, who will be able to forward your query to the best person. This member of staff will aim to support you in gaining a deeper understanding to the rationale of policy.
Communication with school regarding SEND
Please see our SEND information report for details.
If you require reports to be completed by school staff, for assessments by other private professionals, please allow us 6 weeks to complete these.
