Communication with Parents

Information will come to you in a number of different ways:

• by regular Newsletter
Written by the Rector and including Parent Council news, these newsletters are bi-monthly and contain notification of events and activities, issues of concern and congratulation and general information concerning the running of the school.

• by website www.kirkcudbright.dumgal.sch.uk
The Academy website contains detailed information about the school and courses on offer. Newsletters are also posted there, as are all bulletins and letters to parents.

• by letter
You will receive letters containing information about specific events (e.g. school trips and medical examinations), working groups (i.e. an invitation to participate) or incidents (i.e. behaviour). You may also receive letters that alert you to issues concerning the academic progress of your youngster and invite you to come in to school to meet a Pupil Support and/or subject teacher and/or a member of the Senior Management Team. When appropriate, letters are also sent home as part of our system for recognising pupil success.

• by telephone
If there is any matter that we wish to discuss with you promptly, we will telephone you. Obviously, if your child is unwell or has had a mishap in school, we will call immediately. It is vital that we have an up-to-date contact number on file. Equally, if you are concerned in any way about your child's progress or well-being, do not hesitate to telephone the School Office.

In common with other schools in this Region we use 'Groupcall', a service to alert parents in a variety of situations – e.g. absence of a child, information regarding trips, specific events (Parents' Evening, swimming sessions, medical inspections). We use this service daily to alert parents if their child is not in school.

• by report.
See section on Reports/Parents' Evening.

• by interview with teachers.

We are very keen that all parents take advantage of the opportunity to meet their child's subject teachers at Parents' Evening. This allows not only exchange of information, but also the development of understanding and even a joint strategy to support a youngster. If you are unable to attend a Parents' Evening, but would like to meet teachers, please contact the School Office to arrange an appointment.

Communication of information should be a two-way process. We would like all parents to feel that the school and its staff welcome contact with parents. As indicated previously, you are encouraged to contact the school - by letter, telephone or in person - if there is anything you would like to discuss with teachers or the Senior Management Team. If you wish to meet with a member of staff, we ask that you make an appointment to ensure the person you want to see is available.

Parents seeking a place for their child(ren) because they have just come into the area, or because they wish their child(ren) to come here rather than attend their local school, should make a prior appointment with a member of the Senior Management Team. This may be done by letter or telephone or by a direct visit to the School Office. Normally, appointments will be arranged within a day or so of the initial contact. Please note, that parents of children from outwith the catchment area should contact the school office to discuss transport arrangements.

Attendance

We ask parents to contact school if they know that their child is going to be absent. This can happen in advance of a planned absence, either by telephone or letter, or on the day of absence in the case of unplanned/medical absence. Our school office is open from 8 am.

If pupils are found to be off school for no good reason, we will seek parental co-operation to ensure future attendance at school. In extreme cases regional disciplinary procedures may be used, including visits from the Attendance and Liaison Officer. We also contact parents if we are concerned about poor attendance or repeated lateness.

If an absence is not explained, we use an automated system, SEEMIS, for alerting parents to their child's absence. A telephone call/text message is usually made after 10 am to the numbers given to us by parents. It is obviously much easier for both parents and school if we know about absences before school starts.

When pupils require to be absent from school for holiday, compassionate or other personal reasons, parents should send a note to the school stating the expected dates of absence. It is policy of Dumfries & Galloway Council not to provide work for pupils whose parents remove them from school for holidays during term time. In the case of illness, however, parents should inform the school once the pupil is well enough to do homework and indicate when a return to school is likely. Parents should give two days' notice for homework to allow staff to organise work.

Homework

We give homework for a variety of reasons:

. to allow practice and consolidation of the work done in class
. to allow for preparation for future classwork
. to provide opportunities for individualised work
. to assess pupils' understanding of the work being covered
. to allow pupils to develop good study habits
. to encourage ownership and responsibility for learning
. to encourage pupils to realise that learning takes place both in and out of school.

Pupils can expect homework from the majority of subjects, although the amount will vary from subject to subject. They will receive more homework in the upper stages of secondary school than in the earlier years.

Pupils in all year groups are issued with a Pupil Planner to help them organise their homework. In S1, they are shown how to use the Pupil Planner to record and organise homework. There are several pages in the planner which explain its working to parents. We ask that parents check the planner regularly so that they are aware of the amount and type of homework that pupils are given. At the start of S1, we issue parents with a guide to homework. This also contains a list of suggested resources which pupils would find useful in doing homework. Pupils are encouraged to use their planners to help to organise their learning at all stages and in all subjects.

Reports/Parents' Evenings

We report on pupils' progress through a tracking system at various points during the school year. At the start of each session parents receive an information sheet giving details of the date of issue of these reports. They comment on progress, attitude, effort in class and in homework tasks and, in S4-S6, contain information about dates of NABs (assessments from the National Assessment Bank), success/failure in these assessments which pupils must pass to be able to sit the final course award examination in May/June.

Each stage has a Parents' Evening (advertised by letters to parents and/or in pupil reports) at which parents may discuss pupils' progress. If parents are unable to attend and wish to meet with teachers, alternative appointments can be arranged during the school day. Informal discussions between subject teachers and parents are welcomed at other times. Please contact the school to arrange such appointments.

Updating of Information

It is greatly appreciated if parents/guardians inform the School Office as soon as possible of any change of address, telephone number or similar basic information. This helps us keep our records up to date and ensures that we can easily contact you, either in an emergency or to pass essential information to you.