Working Together

Positive home-school relationships are the key to ensuring that every child makes the most of their time at St Louis and we welcome the opportunity to work with our parents in a variety of ways. There are many opportunities for parents and families to share in the life of the school:

Joining us for Mass and Assemblies

All Parents are invited to join us for these special occasions. Dates for these events can be found on this website under the 'Diary Dates' tab. Mass is celebrated on Feast days and at the beginning and end of each term in the School Hall, usually at 11.15am. Please note you do not have to be a Catholic to share in this celebration with us. In addition you will be invited in to a range of assemblies throughout the school year. Children in Foundation Stage are introduced gradually into whole school assemblies and Masses but they are welcome to attend Mass with you if you would like them to. This can be done by collecting your child from the Reception classroom prior to Mass starting. If you are joining us please ensure you arrive on time and note you cannot take photographs unless permission is expressly given at the beginning of the assembly. Photographs during Mass are never allowed.

Helping in school

Any help that parents can give is always greatly appreciated. Parents have been involved in helping in classrooms, with music, the choir, and sports’ activities. Parents have redecorated classrooms and joined us on outings. If you can give a regular morning/afternoon session each week or if you can only do a 'one off' then we would love to hear from you. Also if you have any contacts that may be of interest to us then please let us know. Please note however, you will not be asked to help in a class where a child is related to you as we feel this is not beneficial to your child or to other children in the class. If you are intending to help on a regular basis you will be required by law to have an enhanced DBS. The school will apply for this for you.

What your Child is learning

There are numerous occasions for parents to receive information or visit the school to find out how hard their child is working, progress they are making and how well they are doing against national expectations. We start each year with a 'Welcome and meet the teacher'' meeting when we explain what and how things are taught throughout the coming year and how parents can support children's work. This is followed by Parent Consultation meetings in November where you will have the opportunity to have an individual meeting with your child's class teacher. In the Spring Term there is a parent consultation evening followed by a short report about a child's effort, attitude and attainment. In the Summer Term there are individual appointments for some children and their parents with all children receiving a detailed report at the end of the Academic year.  At the end of each term you will also be invited in to take part in an activity with your child or look at their work. This is usually linked to their topic. If your child is on the SEN register you will be invited to attend regular meetings with the SENCO and class teacher in addition to those already mentioned.

Your views:

Parent Questionnaire

 

We consult with parents regularly and this is usually done through the newsletter or short questionnaires. Every two years we send an extensive questionnaire where we ask for your views on a variety of things.

 

 

Raising concerns

We want parents to feel able  to contact us when they have any concerns, no matter how small. Your initial contact should be with a member of the office staff who will know who is best to help you. If you are contacting us by email you must use the office email address on the front page of our website. We will endeavour to return telephone calls and respond to emails within 24 hours and offer an appointment as soon as it is possible to do so.  Please note that office emails are not checked on a Monday. If the matter is urgent and cannot wait please telephone us rather than emailing. A variety of staff are available to deal with your queries so please do not hesitate to contact us. By working closely with our parents we aim to answer and resolve any concerns that a parent may have. However, in the unlikely event that the class teacher or member of Senior staff  is unable to deal with a concern to everyone's satisfaction then a formal complaints policy is in place. This can be downloaded from this website in the tab marked 'Policies'.

At this school, the health, safety and well-being of every child is our paramount concern.  We listen to our pupils and take seriously what they tell us.  Our aim is that children will enjoy their time as pupils in this school. We want to work in partnership with you to help your child achieve their full potential and make a positive contribution.

 

On rare occasions our concern about a child may mean that we have to consult other agencies even before we contact you.  The procedures, which we follow, have been laid down by the Buckinghamshire Children Safeguarding Board, and the school has adopted a Child Protection Policy in line with this for the safety of all.  The Designated Safeguarding Leads at St Louis School who are responsible for safeguarding children are Miss C Woodward, Mrs C Machin and Miss K Simon. If you want to know more about our procedures or the policy, please speak to the Head Teacher, your child’s class teacher or read our Child protection policy which is available on this website in the tab marked 'Policies'.

 

There may be times when you want to write to the Head Teacher, Chair of Governors or Diocese regarding concerns you may have. Please note that by law we are unable to act upon those concerns unless the correspondence clearly indicates by name and address who has sent it to us. If you wish to speak to a school governor please contact them through the school office.